The Undoing of Lex Luthor Complete
by MSCIBET
Summary: Things change for Lex Luthor after an accident on his second honeymoon with Lana.
1. Chapter 1

Title:

Author: Superag

Rating: R to NC17

Summary: After an accident on Lex and Lana's second honeymoon, Chloe gets the shock of her life.

Timetable: Kara and Lois are not included. All of the first 6 seasons are up for grabs.

Disclaimer: No copyright infringement intended. This is for the sole purpose of entertainment and the way the story should have gone. I own no characters and receive no money for the following.

"8 AM," Lex said to himself as he threw back a cup of coffee and leaned against the lanai's entrance. He had been awake for a couple of hours, secretly getting some phone calls in before Lana woke. He had promised her that their trip together would involve no work, but he knew that couldn't be possible.

It had been a month since her miscarriage. Lex watched as his wife fell deeper into a depression that nothing would remedy. He had repeatedly tried flowers and wine and music to no avail. Finally, he had given her no choice. In the middle of hundreds of projects, both legal and otherwise, Lex cancelled his appointments after finding Lana had returned to her previous engagements.

The woman if nothing else was giving to a fault. She had no sooner been put on his checking account than money started flying out of it to different causes, the most recent being the African living situation. He wasn't completely opposed to the idea of her charities; at least she was now finding interests in other projects that weren't his. That's when the idea had hit him.

They had arrived in Kenya after a brief stopover in Ethiopia. Lex felt uncomfortable the entire trip but finally saw Lana smile for the first time since it seemed the day she accepted his proposal. It had been a long few months. He loved her to the depths of his heart but couldn't stand the complacency of her.

Remembering a specific moment a few days earlier, he regretted everything that he had done to her in order to marry her. She sat in a small fire circle with a group of children. She was wearing a light beige cotton dress that came with a very expensive tag, but she seemed not to worry about it as she moved around on her knees to sit with the children.

"How old are you?" she asked through the interpreter. He watched the girl grab her mother's leg and hide as Lana handed her a coloring book and crayons. The girl peeked out behind the woman's leg and held up four fingers.

Lana looked at Lex and smiled at him for a moment before calling him over. Taking a deep breath, he knew what it was all for. He still loved her despite their problems and her now serious threats of leaving him. Sitting down next to him, Lana coaxed the girl into his lap as she opened the box of crayons.

She had previously accused him for her miscarriage, saying he had overly stressed her out by not been there for her. She sat night after night in the nursery with the door open to make sure he saw her as he moved from the bedroom to the office. Lex looked down at the small girl now sitting in his lap and rolled his neck in frustration. He held the coloring book open and watched as the little girl and Lana colored while he held her. Suddenly he realized how much he had really fucked up. She wasn't the perfect princess Clark or anyone else expected of her, but he had to fix them because she was the closest to settling he ever would come. This would be the final marriage for him.

Coming out of daze, Lex stared across the room at the quiet small lump still under the covers and pulled the shades open and looked over the plain of grass that seemed to surround them. She had gotten her wish. She took the goodwill tour that satisfied her and gave him some much-needed good publicity. Now, it was time for his half of the honeymoon that had never occurred.

The night before had actually looked promising. Lana has dressed in a bright red silk gown cut to her hip. Lex had ordered dinner in and lit the room with candles like before. They had a quiet dinner on the balcony while listening to the interesting sounds of the open wildlife range around them.

After having dinner cleared, he had moved to the edge of the balcony and wrapped his arms around her and kissed her cheek. That was the closest to a real kiss they had shared since the wedding. She flinched slightly in his arms, but she somewhat returned the gesture. Touching his hand around her waist he turned her toward him and looked in her eyes.

Cupping her chin, he pulled her into him. This was their night. A chance to fix whatever had pulled them apart. Moving in, she suddenly pulled out of his arms.

"Lex, I'm really tired and have a headache. I think I'm going to turn in." She reached up and brushed his cheek with her lips and walked back inside. Lex leaned against the railing and watched through the thin sheers as Lana turned off the light. Sighing, he realized that the rest of the week was going to be harder than he thought.

Lex quietly retreated to the bedroom after two more drinks and crawled into bed, turning away from the woman dressed in red.

Now, he stared at her and wondered how long before he should wake her. He wondered if it was even worth trying to continue to trip the way they both were feeling. The loss of the baby had taken its toll on the both of them, in different ways. He had hurt her and swore to himself he would stop and give up before doing any more damage. Yet, she had shown more interest the night before and maybe there was a chance.

"Lana, wake up honey."

"Is it time? Are we going to be late?" Lana stretched and rubbed her hand slightly down the side of Lex's arm. Despite her feelings for Lex, he was trying.

Smiling back, Lex whispered, "We're not going to be late. You have about 30 minutes until the guide gets here. Coffee is on the lanai with a light breakfast."

Lana sat up and threw the sheets off. Lex backed up and watched her silently pick up her things and close the bathroom door behind her. He went back and sat on the lanai hoping that the rest of the day, the rest of the week would at least follow the pattern of the small touches she was giving him. Maybe there was some hope.

"This is incredible Lex. Where are we going now?" Lex watched Lana's face light up at each animal they stopped and photographed. Lex sat against the side of the open jeep and marveled at her face.

"Why don't you wear more hats?" Lex rolled his eyes underneath his sunglasses. The guide had insisted on the hat in wake of the four hours in the sun. Lex was not normally agreeable to such things but understood the need. Besides, when he put the cool beige hat on, Lana giggled, and it made his heart skip a beat like the day he found out she loved him.

"Mainly because I feel silly and my head is sweating."

"Your head would sweat anyway." Lana smiled and then turned back to the front of the jeep, watching the animals run along side the open vehicle.

The two sat silent as they watched the range go by. Pulling up to river, the Jeep stopped. The driver turned around and looked in the back. He shook his head at the scene in front of him. The two honeymooners couldn't be physically further apart. But he was paid generously to keep his thoughts to himself.

"Sir, we are departing for the canoe trip now." Lex and Lana glanced at each other. Offering his hand to her, Lana halfway smiled and took Lex's hand and helped herself out of the back of the vehicle. Lex grabbed her bag and handed her the equipment.

Following behind her, he placed his hand in the small of her back. He felt her move her back away from his hand and pick up the pace. He rescinded his hand and simply followed behind her.

Lana carefully entered the large canoe and sat down on the small bench seat. She offered her hand to her husband. She still loved him for some reason, but he had changed right before his eyes. He tried to cover what horrible habits he had developed with his innate sense of romanticism. He had perfected the lines, the moves, and she had been sucked in.

The plan had been to leave the last weekend. To simply pick up her things and walk out. She knew Lex wouldn't let her go very far; he was too powerful and controlling to let that happen. Still, the marriage was over. She agreed on the trip as long as the goodwill portion came first. The least she had found in their relationship is the ability to give back to the communities with monies she could now spend.

"We go see the hippo and waterfowl. Keep our hands in the boat at all times please ma'am. The crocs here are feisty. You may take pictures if you like, just quiet." Lana just smiled at the guide with the incredibly thick accent. She had truthfully only gotten the words hands in the boat and was just fine with that piece of advice.

"Relax, it's going to be ok."

Lana looked at Lex and took a deep breath. She wasn't sure if she was more concerned about the animals in the water or the fact that Lex still trying so hard. Trying to forget her reasons for staying with the man, she pulled out her camera and snapped a picture of Lex in his hat and a rare smile.

Lana grabbed Lex's sleeve and pointed across to the bank of the river. A beautiful flamboyant of flamingos rested in the shallow water near the bank. "I see."

Lana nodded disgustingly at the casual brush off that Lex dropped. "I'm sorry, I thought we took this trip together," she chided back at Lex.

Lex turned and stared at her in disgust. "Lana, I just said I see them. We are not going to fight about whether I was being disrespectful to you in looking at animals."

Lana turned in the boat as it swayed slightly from side to side. "What are you talking about? You stayed up late last night working after I went to bed. Then you get up early and do the same thing. I thought we had a deal."

"I thought we did too. I thought we were working on our marriage." Lex pushed up his sunglasses and pinched the bridge of his nose before pulling his hat off and tossing it in the boat.

Lana raised her voice again and pointed at Lex, breathing hard between her words. "Marriage? That was over at I do. You couldn't possibly think that after you prying into my personal affairs, including the pregnancy that you masterminded that I would possibly stay with you. I'm just buying you some time."

His mouth dropped open; she had never even mentioned or hinted she knew what the truth was. Frustrated, Lex rubbed the back of his neck and took a deep breath before squeezing his fists together. "Lana…"

Lana watched his motions and waited for the ultimate blowup. "Do it Lex; face it, you're going to be alone."

The guide finally turned around and tapped Lex on the shoulder. "Sir, you're wife needs to quiet." Lex turned and glared at Lana, who missed the message.

"Lana, you need to…"

Lana looked over the side of the boat and screamed as the splashing sound came closer until she could count the teeth in the rush of the hippos' mouths.

Chloe sat in front of her computer and typed the latest boring Metro line about the mix-up of appropriated funds in the mayor's office. Sighing, she hit save and sat back in her chair and tapped her nails against her desk.

"Thinking of who to annihilate next?" Clark pulled a chair up against the side of her desk and laughed.

"Yeah, exactly. I'm actually waiting for an autopsy report from the medical examiner's office. See, this man, Darren Woods, was investigating some dealings for me with Lex's latest so-called military project. After talking to Lana, I didn't get very far, but heard this man had some good reps. Anyway, he was supposed to meet with me yesterday and lo and behold he's swallowing river water this morning." Chloe pushed herself away from the desk and walked to the printing room.

Clark followed her and leaned against the doorway. "To be honest, I haven't gotten anything out of Lana lately either."

Chloe turned and stared at Clark. He would never be over her; he had tried to get her to leave with him after she married Lex. Infatuation could only go so far. Like Lex, Clark had obsessions that seemed dangerous.

"Lana has got to work things out for her own. She's not an idiot, and I truly think she's still in the marriage for something else." Chloe walked up and grabbed Clark by the shoulder. "You've got to let it go."

"But you and her had talked about her leaving Lex."

"Yes, but if I remember correctly she had also told me not to discuss it with you, so this conversation is finished," Chloe added as she started back to her desk.

"He's dangerous." Clark followed Chloe back to her desk and pulled the chair again as Chloe began typing again.

Keeping her eyes on the screen in front of her, Chloe resisted breaking down into a basket case. "Clark, I'm not at liberty to talk about it. And besides, Lana is a big girl now. Please just…"

"Hey not break up you guys little argument but Chloe," Jimmy tapped her on the shoulder and pointed at the television screens hanging from the ceiling.

"Breaking news from the LNN news desk. We are just getting reports in that billionaire and owner of LNN, Lex Luthor, has been in involved in a unfortunate accident at a wildlife preserve in Kenya. We are now going to Kijabe Hospital near Nairobi. "

Clark felt Chloe grab her hand and squeeze just slightly. Glancing in his direction, she could see he was reacting to the shock the same as she was. They were both barely breathing, gasping for breath based on the next statements from the hospital.

A middle aged African doctor stood in front of a small podium with one microphone in front of him. Taking a deep breath, he began to read, "We received three patients at our facility several hours ago. One African male, one Caucasian male and one Caucasian female. The African came to us in fair condition, and is talking. His family has been notified. The Caucasian man, presumed to be Mr. Luthor, is currently in critical condition with a blunt force trauma to the head and several lacerations to the extremities. The female, presumed to be Mrs. Luthor, is in indeterminable condition at this time."

Clark and Chloe stared at each other. Chloe stumbled into the floor as Clark caught her in his arms. "Oh shit," she whispered. "What did he do to her this time?"

Clark continued to watch the television and listen to the doctor over Chloe's cries and tears. "The guide has expressed that the incident was an accident. There is a level of danger involved in dealing with animals, and this was an unfortunate accident."

Chloe turned to Clark and hugged him tightly. "I can't believe she's gone." Chloe buried her head in Clark's chest as a crowd gathered around her and started patting the two on the back. The editor walked out and motioned to Clark to take her home. Gathering Chloe up from the floor, he handed her purse and coat to her as she tried to clean up her face.

Chloe said nothing but just stepped into the elevator and fell again to the floor. Clark knelt next to her and reassured her. "They said she's indeterminable."

Chloe's eyes flashed with anger over the naïve statement from the farmboy. "Clark, she's dead. That's the line everyone uses when they are trying to contact the next of kin." Chloe crossed her arms and stood up, walking out of the elevator and toward her car.

"Chloe," Clark called as she jumped into her car and drove away. As much as Clark wanted to believe Lana was ok, he knew Chloe was right. Chloe would, of course, since she would most likely be writing her best friend's obituary.

Chloe and Clark looked around as the entire town of Smallville seemed to show up for the funeral, even Martha. The funeral had not been contested as people expected it to be. Many were sure that Lionel Luthor would surely bury his daughter-in-law in the family plot. Clark, however, had gone to Lionel during a moment of what he hoped would be the man's weakness and asked that she be buried next to her parents. Lionel surprisingly agreed, saying that Lex would have done anything for Lana but would have stopped short at letting her be buried anywhere else. As much as Clark hated the vindictive feeling toward his son, he was sadly pleased that Lionel agreed to the last wishes.

The funeral lasted only a few minutes. A few people spoke but many were quiet. The reaction of Lana Lang to the town had changed since the marriage of convenience and the resulting miscarriage. People went from adoring the young woman in high school to almost resenting her for marrying the man that destroyed most of the town.

The funeral had to be closed casket. From the discussion with the guide, the boat had been rushed by three hippos and flipped. The submerged boat had knocked Lex in the back of the head, causing the trauma, before the guide watched one hippo bite one leg before letting go.

Lana had not been as lucky. Chloe could barely sit through reading the descriptions that came from the international wires. Lana had been thrown from the canoe right into the back of one hippo. Reacting to what he thought was an attack, she had been taken down below and consequently been mauled through her torso. The autopsy showed few internal organs still intact when what of her body was returned to the states.

"I'm going to miss her. I mean who will I talk to about girl things?" Chloe held Clark's hand as people started filing away.

"You're not the only one. Come on," Clark whispered as he pulled on Chloe's hand.

"No, let's stay for a little longer." Chloe sat back down in the chairs in front of the casket. Clark sat beside her and pulled her into him as they both quietly teared up.

Clearing his throat, Lionel sat behind the two and watched as they shared their pain over losing their best friend. Lionel knew who Lana really wanted, but he had threatened her from the beginning to stay with Lex. Lex had truly blown the best deal he thought he ever had. But Lionel had seen his son since the accident; hope was on the horizion. Taking a deep breath, Lionel waited for a few more minutes until the worker's truck had arrived.

"Ms. Sullivan, Clark, I think we should be going." Clark glanced behind him and shook his head.

Lionel started again, "I don't think you understand. We need to get to Metropolis – there's a little complication with Lex's condition."

Chloe turned around and sniffled, "Why do we care?"

Lionel took Chloe's arm , which she promptly ripped from his hand. Lionel sat down next to her and stared at the casket in front of them. Choosing his words carefully, he softened his tone as he wringed his hands in unusual nervousness.

"Chloe, we have a problem."

TBC


	2. The Twisted Mixed Up Mess

Chapter 2 – This Twisted Mixed Up Mess

Chloe glanced at Clark and silently questioned him. Clark and Lionel had become closer in the past year, with Lionel being more of a father to Clark than to Lex. Clark looked over at Lionel and shrugged in response.

Still looking at Clark, Chloe turned up her lip, "You're a lot of help." She removed her hand from Clark's and stood up and knelt in front of the casket and kissed it's side. Turning to Lionel, she looked irritated and emotionally drained. "You've never called me Chloe unless you were either deranged or in need of something. And since I have this feeling that you aren't deranged as much as before, you need something. But if you think I give a shit about Lex, you are dead wrong."

Clark stood up and looked down at Lionel and waited. The man had apparently found out over the last few weeks what fate his son faced. The news had never been good. Clark and Lex had long ago fell out, mainly over the love a girl, which now was stupid. Clark had tried to keep Chloe from laughing at the headlines dealing with Lex's condition on a daily basis. It was the only time she seemed to have a smile on her face since the accident.

Lex had remained in the hospital in Kenya for a week. He had never stirred or even had eye movement. Clark had spoken to Lionel several times. The entire Luthorcorp universe seemed to scream to a halt. Lionel never left his son's side.

Lionel expressed his awkward feeling for sitting bedside for the entire time just staring at Lex. He admitted numerous times to the air in the room that he wished that he and Lex had never had the falling out and that he loved him. The words fell on now deaf ears. He almost wished Lex could just walk out on the words than not hear them at all.

After the week passed and Lana's body had been shipped back to the states, the doctors cleared Lex for the trip. The doctors flew him in a converted Luthorcorp jet complete with all medical equipment, Lionel again sitting with his son the entire trip. He hoped against hope every night waiting for his son to open his eyes, wake up, even tell him to go away and never come back. Lionel knew this was some ultimate payback for the hell he had created for the whole family for decades.

Clark spoke to Lionel when Lex returned to Metropolis and consequently visited the day before the funeral. Clark knew Lionel was finally turning into something other than the monster that possessed the man before he became the Oracle. Yet, he still felt for Lex. His involvement drove the father and son further apart and that strained all three involved.

The night that Clark had visited, the room was dark and cold as if Lex's personality controlled the temperature. No nurses or doctors walked the hall outside the lonely ward that had been closed off. He watched Lionel sit in the chair next to the bed and read the business section to Lex. Lex didn't move; he looked like stone, pale and nonexistent.

Shaking himself out of his thoughts, Clark now helped Chloe up and stared at the older man that seemed to have aged ten years in just over ten days. Glancing at Chloe, Clark nodded and spoke, "So what's the verdict?"

Lionel stared at his hands and then pulled a flower from the Luthorcorp arrangement. Placing the flower on the casket, he nodded to the foreman waiting to lower the casket into the ground. The three silently walked up the hill to the limo waiting for Lionel. He turned and placed his hand gently on Chloe's shoulder. "He's awake." Chloe glanced up at Lionel and let out an unamused hmph. Unsure of how to put the information, he opted for pleasantries. "Would you two escort me to the Metropolis University Hospital?"

Clark and Chloe glanced at each other and waved off the driver for their car. Chloe frowned at Clark and rolled her eyes. "Just so you know Mr. Luthor, I'm doing this for you and not your son."

Waiting for Chloe and Clark to enter the vehicle, Lionel sighed under his breath, "I was afraid that would be how you felt."

The three rode silently for the long trip back to Metropolis. Chloe watched Lionel flip through several folders from the hospital. There were stacks of news articles and physician bios in his briefcase. "

"Neurologists. Mr. Luthor, these are the …"

"Best in the world, I know." Lionel handed a stack to Chloe to look through. "Unfortunately, they aren't enough." Lionel slammed the folders down in his briefcase and rubbed his fingers through his unkept beard that he had grown since the accident. He stared out the window and continued rubbing his temples. Reaching for a glass and the bottle of bourbon, Chloe grabbed his arm.

"Try this." She twisted the top off a water that was in the small refrigerator. She then dug in her purse until she revealed two Execdrin and handed them to Lionel. Saying nothing, she nodded at Lionel until he obliged and took the painkillers. "Now since we're taking this little trip, you think you could let us know what the problem and really, be specific why the hell I should care."

"Chloe," Clark grabbed Chloe's arm and acknowledged for her to at least try to be civil. Looking at Lionel, he waited for the man to finish the bottle of water and talk when he was ready.

"I understand your reasons Ms. Sullivan," Lionel bit his lip between words. "But, and I haven't told you the whole truth either Clark. The truth is that Lex is not good. He was underwater for a long time, the guide took a long time to get to him. It wasn't his fault. If he had tried to get to Lex, he would have died and then so Lex would have too."

Chloe unfolded her arms and rested one on the window of the limo, listening intently. This was not the Lionel Luthor that had tried to kill her or Lex. He was genuinely scared. She fought with the desire to tell Lionel to go to hell and that he deserved every awful thing thing that came to him and his son. She wanted to help him move Lex out of the mansion and out of Smallville. They were the bane of everyone's existence and the reason for their best friend being buried just a few hours ago. Yet, as she watched Lionel stare out the window looking for the words to express what his face already said, she felt sad for him. Lex, as much as she couldn't stand the monster, was all that Lionel had left now.

"I have contacted every doctor around the globe. They said that Lex had been deprived of oxygen for a long time. They said they were impressed, the term they used, that he was even alive, but he's not. He's had a machine breathing for him, he hasn't moved, hasn't blinked, hasn't talked. I just want him to yell at me, tell me to leave, even that he hates me. Anything."

Chloe and Clark leaned against each other as the Luthorcorp façade fell away from Lionel's face replaced by the worry that both had seen on their parents at one time or another. Clark nudged Chloe to make the first forgiving play.

"I'm sorry. I know it doesn't help."

"If he had died, it would be over, but not Lex. And now, this morning I get a call from the hospital. They have taken him off the ventilator and he's breathing on his own."

Clark looked over from the window, "But that's a good thing right?"

Lionel took the materials that Chloe handed back to him, "Normally, but the Anoxia or Hypoxia have had some tragic and surprising effects. His doctors explained that the symptoms are normal and could be around for a while. " Lionel stopped and looked out the window. "We're here."

Chloe, Clark, and Lionel exited the car and entered the hospital through back entrances and made their way up to the floor that was eerily quiet except for one beeping machine coming form the other end of the hall. Clark took Chloe's hand and followed Lionel to the end of the hall where a doctor came out of a small room. They held back while the doctor sat and spoke to Lionel outside the room.

"Clark, what are we doing here? You know we are the ONLY people here."

Clark looked around the empty halls again and then at Lionel. "Chloe, I know your feelings but he has no one. At the end of the day, all his minions are not his friends. He's been more or less not the devil incarnate and we just need to hear him out."

"Fine, but I'm not going to cry over Lex for the man. More like help point him in direction of the closest incinerator when Lex dies." Clark shook his head and walked up to join the doctor and Lionel.

Chloe followed slowly behind and stared through the glass at the so-called billionaire superpower. He was harmless now. She knew the effect of Hypoxia. Depending on the amount of time Lex was without oxygen, he could remain a veggie the rest of his life. Chloe felt torn on the issue. She had never been one for out right revenge but Lex deserved it. He had destroyed her and her family. He deserved no less punishment.

Clark glanced over and noticed the small evil smile on Chloe's face and grunted under his breath at her reaction. He understood her reasons, but he never thought she had it in her to truly hold a grudge to the point of wanting the man to die. He halfway listened to the conversation between the doctor and Lionel until a faint sound came from somewhere else.

"Did you hear that?" Clark said out loud and hoped no one thought he was crazy. All four stopped and waited for the sound again. Chloe tapped on the glass and stared.

"Just a second." The doctor entered the room as the three watched from the other side of the glass. Lex had actually moved, just a groan and a twitch. Lionel sighed as Clark patted him on the back in relief. There was a glimmer of hope.

Chloe grumbled under her breath at the thought she was doomed to be hated by the gods. She asked for one thing and they present the exact opposite.

"I'm glad he's awake again. Maybe this time will be more than a flutter of the eyes," Lionel casually stated as he watched the doctor continue to check vital signs.

"Wait, you knew he had woken up?" Chloe felt betrayed. Lionel had been egging them on since they left the funeral. He had known Lex was going to recover and be fine. This was all a ploy.

"No Miss Sullivan, I knew he had made a some movements earlier when the doctor called me. I was on my way to the funeral and had to take the call. You have to believe me." Lionel watched as Lex turned his head and groaned as the doctor inserted another liquid into his IV.

The doctor patted Lex on the arm and rejoined the small group. "He's still going in and out of consciousness, but…" The doctor looked back in the room and joined Lex.

Chloe watched as Lex scooted to the edge of the bed and was pointing out the window. The doctor forced him to put his arm back in the bed and stay still. Lex continued to fight with the doctor, with only half intelligible words being said. Rolling his eyes, Lex leaned back on the pillow and turned his head away from the group.

"Appears as if he is having a fit. He must be fine," Chloe chided, still angry that Clark thought she should be cool with the whole situation. Lionel watched the doctor as he put a cold washcloth on Lex's head and then again exited the room. Chloe turned back to the window to see Lex fling the washcloth from his head and point across to the window again.

"I'm sorry about this Mr. Luthor. As I said when we talked on the phone, when these kind of patients wake up, they usually have no idea where they are and what is going on around them. He's having trouble comprehending things. But he continues to ask to see you." The doctor looked at Chloe and nodded.

"Oh no, not a chance." Chloe began to back up toward the door at the other end of the hallway. Clark moved in front of her and forced her back to talk to Lionel, giving her a stern warning to give it a chance. Clark hoped to himself he was making the right decision. He wasn't sure what Lionel was up to but hoped he was finally on the up and up.

Lionel glanced at Clark and then at the doctor. "Can you give us a minute doctor?" The doctor nodded and disappeared into the office across from Lex's room. Turning to Chloe, Lionel took a deep breath and looked at her and Clark.

"You remember that problem I mentioned?" Chloe stood still and looked past Lionel into the dark hospital room and then glanced at Clark. "You're the problem. He only wants to see you; he fights with everyone else."

"Why the hell? Does he want to kill me before he dies?"

Clark looked frustrated and leaned against the wall. "Just hear him out."

"Miss Sullivan, if I knew, at this point I would be happy to tell you. He won't talk to anyone until he sees you."

Lionel sighed and asked for Chloe to wait. He turned and went into the room with Lex and picked up the washcloth. Laying it on the table next to the bed, he stood over his son's bed. Lex turned and looked at the older man and rolled his eyes. Turning away, Lex whispered, "No, her."

Clark leaned over and confirmed the message from Clark. "He says only you, but doesn't say why. You have to give it a chance. There could be a million reasons why he wants to talk to you."

"Yeah, and I know a couple of those involve me dead or in a petri dish." Chloe scoffed and started away as Clark grabbed her arm.

"He's in a fucking hospital bed. He just woke up from a coma. I seriously doubt he's looking to exact revenge on you. Maybe he wants to ask you about Lana." The name made her stop. Her best friend still was his wife. She watched as Lionel tried to get Lex to look at him and then gave up. Lionel quietly closed the door behind him and returned to the two.

Lionel and Clark stood in the hallway and stared at her. Clark owed her dearly for this one. Lionel owed her so much more. Rolling her eyes, she shoved her purse into Clark's arms and pushed the hospital door open. "Fine."

Chloe stood over the side that Lex was facing. He was again breathing evenly as if he was sleeping and Chloe sat and stared at him. His color was off, pale and frightening. She looked out the window and again rolled her eyes at the two men as she gently nudged Lex.

Lex groaned and opened his mouth. His voice was so weak and tired Chloe had to listen carefully. "Thought you wouldn't come."

Chloe lifted an eyebrow in confusion. Taking her hand in his , she bit her lip not believing that she had actually been convinced to make friends with the enemy. "It took awhile." She couldn't think of anything else to say. She was trying to feel him out, figure out how she fit into the whole scheme.

Lex squeezed her hand a bit harder and brought it to his lips. Chloe adjusted her neck uncomfortably as Lex kissed her hand. Straining to pull it away, she felt his grip tighten. "Honey, where's your ring?" Lex ran his fingers over the empty place on her left hand.

"Lex, I think you're a little confused. You've been in an accident and some things aren't connecting." Chloe squirmed in the chair even more uncomfortably.

Lex moaned and closed his eyes. Hitting the button for his painkillers, he melted back into the bed and smiled as he ran his fingers over her hand. "I miss your touch." Lex stared at Chloe and pushed the hair out of her face and halfway smiled. Some nerves were still not connecting and Chloe almost laughed at the right side of his lip droop.

"Lex…"

"I'm sorry about the fight baby; your career is important." Lex stopped and took another deep breath, seeming to fight to find the right words and put sentences together. "Sullivan-Luthor is fine, but the baby is a Luthor." Lex barely brushed his hand against Chloe's stomach before she lurched back.


	3. Deeper in the Mind of a Delusion

Chapter 3 – Deeper into the Mind of a Delusion

"Lex, I don't think…"

Lex grabbed her hand with both of his as he pulled her closer to him. "Chloe honey, don't say it." Gasping for air, he squeezed her hand harder as Chloe noticed his pulse rapidly increasing.

Chloe attempted to pull away, concerned for the first time about Lex's condition. Pulling out of his grip, she started toward the door.

"Chloe, please don't walk out on us. I love you." Chloe stopped in her tracks. She hated this man, but the intensity and pleading in his voice told her that this was not the same Lex. Turning back and looking in his direction, he held one hand out to her and whispered please repeatedly. Her feet felt like lead. She was tempted to let him think they were over, finished. She wanted to crush him and say there was no baby, but the mere fact that the he spoke of that first was a sign there was so much to the past he had imagined while comatose.

Chloe walked back over and took his hand uncomfortably. She watched Lex look into her eyes and then to her stomach several times without either one of them saying a word. "Lex, I just think you need to rest. I just want you to give yourself some time to recover."

Lex looked over at the window and back at Chloe. "What's he doing here? I thought we had an understanding. You were going to stop seeing Clark and give this a chance." Chloe glanced back at Clark and then at Lex. "And my father. Tell him to go to hell." Chloe sighed; some things don't change.

Chloe pulled the chair up to Lex. Her mind twisted through the few ramblings that Lex had just spouted off and tried to piece together where Lex exactly was at. He was completely delusional. "Lex, Clark's my friend." She carefully tread on certain open ending phrases to let him fill in the holes.

Lex turned away from her and glanced out the window at the man talking to his father. Clark had betrayed him in the worst way. They were the best of friends. He had been Clark's mentor of sorts for his love life woes all through high school. Lex knew he had been more than the absent husband for many months, but he promised he would change. He had no reason to keep Chloe; she obviously was over them.

"The kiss I walked in on was not friendly," Lex flatly stated without looking in her direction. Chloe's mouth dropped as she tried to compose herself.

"Lex, he's in love with Lana." Grasping at straws, Chloe dug for more information from her supposed husband's head.

Lex turned to her and wrinkled his forehead in confusion. "Who?"

"Lana Lang. High school sweetheart." Lex gripped Chloe's hand and stared at her in disbelief.

"Honey, should we roll a bed in here for you?" Lex halfway giggled and coughed, leaning over and gasping for air.

"Take it easy, you're still weak." Chloe grasped around his back and held him in place from rolling off the bed. Pulling back up into the pillows, Lex took deep breaths, clutching at his chest. "Hurt?"

"Hard to breath." Lex took another breath. "Who is Lana? We're talking about us, and I don't want you seeing Clark while we are trying to put our marriage back together. He just complicates things. So, if this Lana person makes him happy, but I can't imagine that he's in love since four days ago." Closing his eyes, Lex grinded his teeth in agony of speaking so long that his chest ached again.

"Four days ago?"

"Yeah, when I caught you two and then drove the car into a streetlight on Bonaventure. I was so angry, but," Lex stopped and coughed as Chloe sat with her hand still in his. "How can you forget? You were in the ambulance."

Chloe sat back in the chair and pulled her hand from his. His delusion was completely a new fabricated life of epic proportions. She was married to Lex, still not sure how long but cheating with Clark. And Lana. Looking back at Lex, she watched him twirl his wedding ring around his finger and shook her head.

Her anger still boiled but she couldn't fathom walking away from the strangest story of her lifetime. It was too deliciously good. "Yeah, I guessed we shouldn't talk about it, so I didn't bring it up."

"So, you're leaving. And the baby?"

Chloe sat like stone, afraid of what to say. He was too weak to hurt her; it was her turn to get him back. "I need some time." Chloe stood up and stared at Lex from the end of the bed before quietly slipping out of the room.

Lex watched as she met her father and Clark in the hall. His wife of one year was pregnant with their first child. He had been gone more than he had wanted to but his father wanted the merger to take place. Lex turned on his side, pulling his hands up around his face sobbed between his coughing fits. She was gone. "Don't leave me Chloe," he whispered to himself.

Chloe walked back into the hallway and watched the door close behind her. She walked up to Clark and Lionel and looked at them. "I guess you heard everything."

Clark carefully nodded, knowing Chloe was completely uncomfortable with the idea that her and Clark were an item, especially under the circumstances that Lex had put together in his head. "This is just odd; why do you think that this is happening? He remembers nothing of reality."

Clark listened into the room and touched Chloe while Lex wasn't looking. "He's hurt, and I don't mean because of this." Clark leaned in and whispered to only Chloe, "He's crying and whispering pleads for you to stay."

Chloe acknowledged Clark and looked through at the man that she still couldn't tell if he was playing her. Lionel glanced in at Lex and scratched his beard again. "Clark, under these new found revelations, maybe we should talk out of his view." Chloe looked at Lionel and Clark and rolled her eyes.

"Sure," Clark answered and walked down the hall out of Lex's view before finishing the conversation.

Lionel paced back and forth in the hallway while Chloe tapped her foot impatiently. Her story was laying in the bed down the hall. Time was being wasted. Still gripping his forehead like his son's bad habit, Lionel spoke. "How about this? Chloe, he thinks you two are married and …"

"Stop there." She started nervously pacing in the opposite direction that Lionel had been walking. Looking at the two as if they again were ganging up on her, she scorned both of them. "I'm not…"

"Chloe, you're the only that can get to wherever his mind is. You have to." Clark pleaded.

"And what? Pretend to love that man. He used my mother and almost got me killed – he can rot in hell. You can't honestly think that I just move back in the mansion with that!" Lionel grabbed her, keeping her from running out the door. She was flushed and irritated.

Clark moved to her and took her from Lionel's hand. "We will be there the whole time." Clark moved her back and gripped her shoulders. "Look, from the way Lex is acting, he is not himself. If he tries to re-enter his world without someone, he'll hurt himself."

Chloe couldn't believe Clark was actually advocating for the man. This man wanted to expose Clark's secrets and ruin the rest of them. He had married their best friend for secrets. Chloe shook her head repeatedly, thinking to herself that Clark should serve some time away too. "No. I'm not going to wait around for him to find out who he is and then return to destroying us all? I don't think so. If he realizes he's living in a dreamworld, maybe he'll collapse." She looked over at Lionel sitting in the chair against the wall and realized what she had just said.

Walking over and kneeling next to Lionel, she saw his face draw up in anguish. "I'm sorry Mr. Luthor, but I can't." Chloe stood up and picked up her bag and headed for the door.

"Wait." Chloe stopped midstep and saw the doctor walking up to meet the three of them. "I have some information for you from the last tests." The doctor handed the folders to Lionel and waited for him to flip through the contents. "Can we talk in private?" Chloe looked over at Lionel and then the doctor.

"They are privy doctor." The doctor glanced at Clark and Chloe before beginning.

"As I spoke to you earlier. He has come through the comatose state in decent fashion. He has some weight loss that we can work on, but the Hypoxia is our major concern. The bedside Microdyalysis did make a difference. He pulled out of the coma much faster than expected. But I am concerned about his awareness. According to his records, the woman he was married to is not you miss. His present memories are from his comatose state and his amnesiatic and delusional state is not out of the ordinary."

"How long do the states last?" Clark asked concerned for the effect on his friend.

"We have seen patients snap out of the trancelike delusions within hours and sometimes never. The pattern depends on the amount of memory loss that occurred during the Hypoxic state. I have him scheduled for an MRI again tonight to see if there has been any improvement."

"Well, what is the present diagnosis?" Chloe chided. Lionel continued to listen to the doctor while flipping through the most recent tests and monitor logs.

"He's suffered substantial memory loss, some memories are … gone for now. The MRI's from earlier confirm that there was massive damage. Do you have anything of substance that would confirm the same?"

Chloe glanced down the hall and back at the doctor, "Yeah, he thinks we're married and I'm pregnant."

The doctor covered his mouth and tried not to laugh as the three stopped and scowled at him for his unprofessionalism.

"I have you know Miss Sullivan is one of the few women that are qualified enough to be with my son." Chloe gasped at the direct compliment. She had never expected to be accepted by Lionel. Lionel caught her eyes and smiled softly. "Now, if you could just analyze why he remembers her and has made up such a story and knows nothing of his dead wife." Lionel saw Clark and Chloe gulp at the again mention of Lana. It had been a long day.

"I'm sorry sir. I will continue keeping you informed, but for comparison sake. He was under for a good ten minutes and in a coma for two weeks. This could be close to permanent to him. I would just suggest to ease him back into what he doesn't know because he's going to not understand much of it." The doctor took the records from Lionel and walked back into the small office and closed the door.

Lionel stared back at Chloe who leaned against the wall, clutching her purse and waiting for the hammer to drop. Chloe took a deep breath and waited.

"Chloe?"

"What?" She answered angrily, giving up on her fight against the two men and their crazy idea.

"Just tell me how this all is going to work. I feel like I'm right back to where I was in the middle of the Luthor family screw up three years ago."

Lionel approached her and leaned against the wall next to her. "You won't be alone this time. Clark and I will be there the entire time. If the doctor is right, you being in the house with Lex will be a way for you to get to his information." Lionel turned and reassured Chloe of her safety. "We can undo what Lex has done." Lionel waited for her reaction. "Save Clark's secrets."

Clark stared at her from across the hall and crossed his arms. "Chloe, it's up to you, really." Clark turned and glared in Lionel's direction insisting he lay off.

"But all his memories are things we don't even know. And when he gets home, it'll be Lex Luthor this and that all over the media and reminders of his previous 'life'. How do you just do away with real life like that?" Chloe closed her eyes when she realized this was Lionel Luthor she was talking to. Turning to him and then biting her lip, "You're going to pay to have his reality adjusted aren't you while we play the happy couple and I dig up his dirt." Chloe slid down in the floor and fiddled with her purse.

Digging out a mirror and her lipstick, she fixed her hair and lips. "Thank you. And I meant what I said to the doctor. I honestly wish I could take back three years ago." Lionel sighed and waited for her decision.

Chloe looked away from Lionel and shoved the articles back in her purse. Standing back up, Chloe adjusted her shirt and rolled her eyes on last time before heading down the hall. Clark ran up behind her and grabbed her hand. "Go home Clark. Remember, we can't be seen together. I'll call you later." Clark let go of her arm and watched her carefully stroll back into the hospital room.

Chloe sat down in the dark room and stared at the monitor marking his heart rate. It had returned to normal while the three of them had been talking. Dropping her purse silently on the small table, she looked at the clock and wondered how long he would sleep. She hoped for a long time.

The idea was a good one she agreed. If they could undo all his damage, including 33.1 and the meteor freak round up, it would be worth it. She had taken an acting class in high school as a credit. She could pretend. She reanalyzed what she knew already. They were already having problems, so the intimacy issue would be nothing to worry about. But the ring was; he would at least hope she would wear her ring. And exactly how pregnant was she? The whole hoax screamed undercover investigative reporter.

"Hey," she heard softly in her direction. Turning she gingerly smiled a fake smile and nodded in his direction. "Still hate me?"

"You really don't want me to answer that." Chloe felt her acting could only take her so far, but he asked the magical question. "Are you feeling any better?"

Lex strained to move on his side and groaned as he shifted his weight. "Uncomfortable. My chest hurts bad."

"Hitting the steering wheel probably packs a punch."

Lex groaned and halfway smiled at the statement. Staring into Chloe's eyes, he reached out for her. Pulling her hand further away, he pulled back. Chloe just watched him writhe in bed, clutching his chest and scratching. "Feels like I'm on fire." Gasping for air, Lex started to shake.

"Lex?" Patting him on the shoulder, he shook harder as she grasped his arms and tried to hold him down. Reaching over his body, she held him down and pressed the call button. She pressed her body against his as his breathing seized. "Lex, calm down. HELP!" She grabbed the opposite rails and continued to throw her weight on his body and screamed for help.

"Back up," the nurse instructed as he pushed past Chloe and placed the bag over his mouth and the other nurse jabbed an epipen in his thigh.

"Oh my God, what's wrong with him?" She watched his movements slow as the nurses continued to hold him down. She watched the nurse wipe his face with a washcloth and toss it in the linens. His eyes rolled back into their normal position and his body stilled.

"It's common in these cases. The nervous system is pretty shot in Hypoxia victims and he's going to have seizures. They should get better after awhile." The nurses released their grips and headed for the door. "Call again if you need anything."

"Wait. What is awhile?"

"They progressively get better in months," the male nurse answered. Handing Chloe two pens, he smiled. "If it happens again, stick him with this in the thigh and then hit the button." The nurse closed the door as Chloe stared at her hand. This was definitely not going to be easy.

She waited for half an hour before he finally came around. "You had a seizure." Briefly waiting, she touched his hand, "It was kind of scary. They told me to stick you with this if it happens again."

"Thanks in advance. So?"

"About the ring – I kind of took it off and it fell into a drain at the … mall."

Lex turned and smiled at her. "It was a ring; I'm just glad you're here."

Chloe sat in the seat next to the bed and watched him move and scratch his chest more. "I'll get you a new one when we have the money."

Chloe stared at Lex as her mouth dropped open. "What?"

"Dad let me go. Different business perspectives." Chloe had no words for the twisted life that Lex continued dropping in her lap.

"How are we going to take care of…" Chloe felt weird fishing for information by using the fictitious baby as bait, but Lionel canning Lex and Lex just taking it was something new. Suspecting there was more to the story, she was pretty sure at this point that they didn't live at the mansion either.

Lionel and Clark better work fast to arrange things for his arrival home. Recording the information mentally, she knew she had to call them soon.

"The baby? We'll make it – your new job at the Planet is going to help. Did you get to the doctor yesterday for your 12 week appointment?"

Almost automatically, Chloe looked at him and nodded, "Yeah, everything is fine. Don't worry." She smiled and touched his hand slightly as the female nurse came in with two trays of food.

"I heard you were awake; I brought you some food." The nurse laid the trays down and started out the door. "Mrs. Luthor? Can I speak to you a moment?" Lex nodded for Chloe to go as he pulled the tray up to him.

Chloe adjusted the table to his level and followed the nurse out the door. Her resistance to needing to be ill at the drop of Mrs. Luthor was great, but she bit her lip. "Yes?"

The doctor came out of the office and smiled at her. "Mr. Luthor informed me of the change in plans in regards to your name. I just wanted to let you know that in light of seizure, Lex will not have an MRI tonight. Other arrangements have also been made. Mr. Luthor has tapped the call button system and is now able to keep all of us informed of the reality that we are to follow."

Chloe shook her head and understood. Lionel worked fast. Now, she just needed to get Lionel and CLark to the mansion and start digging. "Can you do me a favor? Somehow ask for Lex's address. I don't think he lives at the mansion if you get my drift."

The doctor nodded and went back to his office. Chloe watched as the doctor went in and had a conversation with the man that was her husband. The thought ran an evil prickly shiver down her spine. He wasn't a man, he was a monster until proven otherwise. Loathing every moment that she had to spend with him, she knew at least she was sitting on the best story she could write. Perhaps it would actually get her the desk that Lex thinks she has right now.

Handing her the form, Chloe thanked the doctor and stared at the address. Metropolis. They lived in a house in Metropolis. This address wasn't familiar. She quickly texted Clark the address and threw the form on the counter before rejoining her husband.

"Hey, you finished already?"

"Not really hungry." Chloe nodded and opened her tray up and ate silently as Lex flipped through a sports magazine. She noted the odd half interest in the magazine, being as Lex cared nothing for sports.

When she finished, she moved the table out of the way and sat back in the chair next to the bed and sighed. Glaring at Lex, she closed her eyes when he pressed the on button for the television. Felling a choking sensation come over her, she prayed silently not to have to deal with his reality being fractured.

"In the news today, Luthorcorp announced the dismissal of executive vice president, Lex Luthor. No additional statements were made by the CEO Lionel Luthor. The press is curiously making their own assumptions, including that the two are not seeing eye to eye on the company's most recent acquisitions and the strain of Lex Luthor's marriage."

IWow, he's good/I Chloe thought to herself as the news went into the weather report.


	4. Untying the Knots

Chapter 4 – Untying the First Knots

Chloe woke up the next morning to the sound of the doctor speaking with Lex. She blinked twice and rubbed her eyes. She yawned and stretched over the uncomfortable couch that was in the room with him. She sat up and eyed the nurse working on Lex. He was sitting up with help of the bed. "Good morning," she strained out as she continued to stretch.

Lex looked over and smiled. "Could you excuse us?" The nurse nodded and left his morning medication next to the bed before heading out the door. Waving her over, Lex smiled and pulled something out of the drawer of the side table. "I had something delivered over here for you." He handed the small box to Chloe.

She sat down and took the box from him. She pasted on a fake smile and shifted uncomfortably in the chair by the bed. Looking at the small box in her hand, she knew exactly what she was holding. "I thought we didn't have the money," she questioned trying to prolong the anguish of being married to the man.

"I talked to our broker this morning, and he cashed in a CD." Chloe's face became more questioned wondering exactly who he had talked to. She had to talk to Lionel soon about what exactly he was running. "I know I said it was just a ring, but I really want you to have one. It's not as big and…"

Chloe opened the box and gasped at the perfect engagement and wedding ring combo. "Lex, you really. Wow." She shook her head and rubbed her finger across the band of platinum and diamonds.

"Here," Lex held out his hands and took the small box from her. She bit her lip and nervously glanced around the room. Looking back at Lex, he shook his head and laughed as he pulled the rings out of the box. "You're as nervous when I first asked you to marry me. Remember?"

"Tell me again." Lex laughed again and grabbed his chest slightly. "Still hurt?"

Lex nodded and twirled her rings around his little finger as he snapped the box shut. "You had your flight cancelled from San Francisco back to Metropolis. I remember we were going to this party that Clark was actually throwing for your return. Neither of the dad's were happy about us being together. But I flew out there and picked you up in the jet and proposed totally out of the blue. You had the same look on your face as you do right now."

Chloe felt herself crack a smile at the out of place informal proposal. She jumped slightly when Lex took her hand and slipped the rings on. "Lex, they're incredible. You really didn't have to." She pulled her hand away and adjusted the bands, trying to not act as if she had never had anything there before. "Thank you." She readjusted her thoughts and tried to mentally note to remove the rings whenever she was not out with Lex. This act was going to be harder to pull off than she thought.

"Good morning Mr. Luthor. I'm here to take you down for your MRI since you have been stable for the last eight hours. Are you up for it?"

Chloe nodded in agreement as Lex leaned back in the bed and motioned for the orderly to wheel him away. "I'll see you later? Or are you going to work?"

Chloe stammered, thinking of the right thing to say, "I'll be here." She gripped Lex's hand as he ran his fingers over the ring again. Letting go, she heard him strike up a conversation with the orderly on his way down the hall. She sat down in the chair and sighed in relief.

"No time for that Miss Sulllivan." Chloe looked up and saw Clark following Lionel into the room. "I got the address from you last night and checked out the place. I checked it out and it's usable. Now, you will need this." Lionel handed her a phone and credit card. "Those are both on my accounts. I have suspended Lex's accounts attached to Luthorcorp to keep up with his story. Oh, also, sign these."

Chloe stared at the stack of papers that he placed on the table and took the pen. "This is a marriage license. What the hell?"

Clark moved up to the two and placed his hand on her back. "Look, I know this is all very twisted but replacing Lana's existence in his life is the first thing we need to do. The photo department at Luthorcorp has been busy getting the pictures in the house ready for you and Lex to return to home. The marriage license is just a detail. It's not legally binding but if prying eyes go looking into public records it's there."

"You can't possibly buy off everyone – the entire world knows Lana died. I'm not his wife." Chloe held her hands up and backed away from the table. Clark ran his fingers through his hair in frustration.

"Look, I know that and you know but he believes you are. The rest of the world is as normal. The house he thinks you live at is still incredible but in a newer neighborhood in Metropolis. It's gated; it's safe, but not freaky ghost hunter like the mansion. No offense Lionel, "Clark stated looking in Lionel's direction. "Besides, with you out of the mansion, that gives Lionel and me plenty of opportunity to take of things from there."

"And Miss Sullivan,"

"I think since I'm your daughter-in-law try Chloe."

"Chloe, the neighborhood is secure." Chloe picked up the pen and signed the replica of the marriage license with her name. Chloe Sullivan-Luthor. Closing her eyes, she took several deep breaths and shook her head.

"It's too complicated to explain right now but think The Truman Show." Chloe stared at Clark and then in shock at Lionel.

"No explain please."

"There's a master planned community in Metropolis that Luthorcorp started building two years ago that Lex was the front man for the development. He had built him a home there as well in the middle of the community he named Eden. After seeing the address last night, I realized that Lex was substituting that community he built in his mind."

Chloe backed up and sat down on the couch next to Clark. Lionel sat on the other side of her and stared at the ring. "I see Lex got a hold of his broker," Lionel smiled as he looked in Clark's direction.

Chloe flashed an accusing look at Clark and then at Lionel. "You?" Clark shook his head and pointed back in Lionel's direction.

"I circumvented all of his numbers and they all go to one central location. He thinks he's calling out and it's one operating area."

Chloe leaned back stunned. With her mouth gaping open, she suddenly felt sad for the man. She had wished him ill will but this bordered on the ridiculous. "So you have coerced an entire master planned community and everyone that lives there to know our life history together. All of Lex's business is going through you." She stared at Lionel and shook her head, "You manipulative bastard; you finally got the control you wanted over him, and you," she turned to Clark, "and you're eating this up."

"We have to do it this way Chloe. He may get his memory back and suddenly return to find everything from his former life gone. He'll more than likely come after all of us for this. Or …"

"He's permanently…and I'm Mrs. Lex Luthor forever." Chloe stopped and stared straight ahead. She looked at the ring and sighed. It was a story for the outside world that would be as juicy as anything that she had ever read. It beat all meteor freak stories.

"Chloe, dear. Even if Lex is like this permanently, we will get you out of it some way."

"Yeah, I tried that witness relocation program and it almost killed me. Actually that was you that almost had me killed." Clark glared at Chloe to drop the accusatory tone.

Lionel scratched his beard nervously and began to pace. "I know, and I am truly deeply sorry. But you are the best at what you do, and he chose you for his little fantasy. So, I promise I will get you out of it and hopefully open the world up to him little by little. But Clark and I need time to take care of things. Lex built this 33.1 facility and his other projects over years. We have to have time."

Chloe nodded and walked over to the table. Picking up the marriage certificate, she smiled, "And the pictures in the house? How vivid do you think his memories are?"

Clark hugged Chloe and took a deep breath. "Try not to look at them to hard. They're the ones of him and Lana with you photoshopped in." Chloe couldn't decide whether to laugh or cry at her sudden complexity of her situation.

"Ok, you better go." Chloe put the all the materials back in the folder and handed it back to Lionel. As the two walked out of the room, Chloe covered her mouth and ran down the hall after them. "Wait."

Lionel and Clark turned around and Clark looked up in the direction of the opposite door, "We should go somewhere else; he's coming back in." The three ducked out of the hallways into a waiting room at the other end of the hall. "So what?"

"I'm 12 weeks pregnant, but," Chloe spun around and pointed at herself, "I 'm not anywhere near that. I should be showing soon." She sat down and waited for one of them to come up with something.

"How good of an actress are you?" Clark asked Chloe and then shrugged in Lionel's direction. "I say give it a couple of weeks home with him and then we play that card." Chloe agreed and hugged Clark.

"I'll call you later, from this phone," she said looking at Lionel.

"Thank you Chloe." Lionel leaned in and hugged her as she uncomfortably took the hug. She glanced down the hall and sent them on their way and returned to the room where the television was on.

Chloe walked back down the hall and held the door open for the nurse that delivered lunch for the both of them. "Hey, you look a little pale."

Lex smiled as he sat the bed up and pulled the tray into him. "More than normal? I didn't think it was possible." He grabbed the side bar of the bed and pulled himself over to one side and patted the bed. Chloe continued to stand in the doorway and become flustered from the request. "Baby, I don't bite. What's wrong?"

Chloe closed the door and climbed up on the bed next to Lex . She could feel the radiated heat coming off his arm next to hers. Her heart raced as she tried to force a smile and glance in his direction. The air between them was suddenly heavy, and she knew most of it was her fault. She felt for his condition, but truly had no desire to be this close. Picking up her fork, she quietly started eating.

Stiffening up, she trembled as he snaked his arm around her side and pulled her closer to him. Lex kissed her on neck and whispered, "I love you," in her ear. Turning, she rotated her neck away from his direction and nodded. She stayed still and rigid as his hand moved up and down her back. "Chloe honey relax. Look, I know we've been having our problems and I royally screwed up by walking out on you that evening. But what did you expect me to do. You were kissing Clark; you hurt me. It took everything in my power not to kill him. I thought laying him out on the front lawn was enough. I don't need the law chasing me."

"I'm sorry," Chloe whispered. "But what did you expect; he's been there." Lex let his hand drop behind her and sighed. He glanced down at the ring and took her hair and tucked it behind her ear.

"I know, and I'm sorry, but just because I've been away didn't mean you had to run to him. You promised me in the ambulance that if I was there for you that Clark…I want us to be a family. And if that means giving up my shitty job under my father's hold, then so be it." Chloe sat still and closed her eyes as Lex's fingers traced up and down her arms and rubbed her stomach. "And besides, we don't want little Gabriella or Alexis or Joseph or Julian to grow up without both parents." Chloe's jaw locked as she concentrated on just breathing. The mere fact of the madman touching her made her stomach turn. She just wanted to jump off the bed and run for the nearest exit.

Lex leaned in and kissed her neck as Chloe tried to turn it to keep him from touching her, but he continued to press. "Lex, lunch is getting cold."

Sighing, Chloe straightened up and smiled unconvincingly in his direction. Lex cupped her face and pulled her into him. Close enough to feel the breath come from each word, Lex repeated himself, "I love you Chloe." Running his hands through her hair, he pulled her and kissed her. Pulling out of the short kiss, he gazed at her. "Please don't leave me – I'll make it work. You're my savior." Pulling her in again, Lex pressed his lips to hers as Chloe tried to keep her mouth firmly closed while closing her eyes. Letting her go, Lex leaned back over and picked up his fork. He couldn't make eye contact with her, he said, "I guess it's too soon."

Chloe silently stared at her food and pushed the main dish around with her fork. Lex had just kissed her, twice. He touched her almost intimately in places she wished other men would touch her. She could still feel her body slightly trembling from the interaction. Thinking about the words that fell from his lips, she fought against the words she wanted to return. If she didn't say anything, she could possibly get out of the fake marriage with an equally fake divorce, but her chances at the story of the century would be sorely lost. She could just tell him the truth there and risk the backlash that would of course come from it. She bit the inside of her lip until she could taste blood and then turned to Lex. Placing her hand on his arm, she forced the words from her lips, "I love you too and I want to make us work this time."

Lex turned and gazed at her before throwing his arms around her. Chloe closed her eyes and accepted the kiss on the side of the cheek and repeated apologies casually before forcing a kiss on his cheek. As he let go of her and started eating again, she wondered why this couldn't be the Lex Luthor that really existed. This one at least acted as if he had an ounce of remorse in his body. Now she just needed more information.

The two pushed the trays away after finishing lunch and sat back against the pillows. Lex flipped the television back on and handed the remote to Chloe. "Pick something."

Chloe glanced at him and smirked. "Umm, a movie?" Lex leaned back and pointed at the television. Settling on the Last of the Mohicans, Chloe carefully placed her hands in her lap and laid as far over on the bed as possible. She knew that once Lex was now awake, there would be no way for her to sit all the way across the room. He wanted to make amends, which was fine for him. She was another story.

"Come here," Lex quietly spoke. He put his arm up and pulled Chloe into him. She hunkered down into his shoulder as Lex pulled her arm over across his stomach. Leaning over, Chloe blinked in reaction to the kiss Lex planted on her head. "I love this. I feel like that night I came and visited you in the hospital after you got electrocuted while poking around dad's factory. You know that dad had the audacity to send me a bill for for the power outtages that occurred." Lex laughed and started to cough.

Chloe sat up and reached instinctively for the Epipen when Lex waved her off. "Are you going to be ok?" Chloe slid off the side of the bed and poured him a glass of water. Handing the water to Lex, she backed up and waited to see if the coughing ceased. Lex put the glass down and motioned her to come back up and sit with him. "Ok, let's put your dad on the non-topic list along with Clark." Chloe joked and halfway smiled as she repositioned herself next to Lex.

Chloe laid and watched the movie with occasionally looking his direction. He looked determined and interested in the movie, but Chloe could still feel him occasionally squeeze her around the side and kiss her head during the commercials. She thought Lex was moving and looked up at him. She giggled at him; he was mouthing the words to the movie.

"My father warned me about you...

Your Father?

Chingachgook, he warned me about people like you.

Oh, did he?

He said 'Do not try to understand them'.

What?

Yes, and, 'do not try to make them understand you. That is because they are a breed apart and make no sense'."

"I thought we weren't going to talk about dear old dad." Chloe peered up at Lex and smirked.

Lex smirked back and rolled his eyes playfully, "I said nothing of the sort. I just like the lines of the movie." Chloe nodded.

"Sure," she answered sarcastically. Chloe lowered her head and fought the idea of sleep until she succumbed.

When the movie ended, Lex leaned over slightly and looked at Chloe sleeping in his arms. The nurse cracked the door and quietly administered his meds while taking his vitals. Lex stayed absolutely still not to wake his wife. She was finally restful. She had such a hard time; he had made it near impossible for her to stay with him.

Clicking the television off, he carefully removed his arm from behind her and tried to squeeze the feeling back into it. He watched as she instinctively moved closer to him, thus jamming him into the side of the hospital bars. He pushed her over slightly without waking her and stared at the ceiling in the dark.

Even though the fight between them had only been four days earlier, Lex could swear it felt like years. She had been infatuated with Clark from the first time she had laid eyes on him. Lex always knew that he would be trouble. But the stars always seemed to be against the two of them. Both fathers adamantly opposed the nuptials saying that Chloe was too young and Lex was not husband material.

He thought back to when Chloe had arrived at her father's office and announced that he had asked her to marry him. Gabe marched directly to the elevator and barged in on a conference call that Lionel was having. The two within the hour had gathered both he and Chloe to talk sense into them. The employee's daughter was not the right choice. She was outspoken and into everyone's business. Lex halfway laughed thinking that he defended it with the most adult "duh" he could come up with before pointing out that she was going to be the most famous reporter at the Planet or on the Planet. He remembered that was the day his father and he quit speaking.

Wrapping his arm around her, he pulled her back over his side and leaned further back into the pillows. Chloe had been that perfect specimen of the untouchable sort. He blamed her father for everything. She was the only girl ever interested in the business and volunteered to run copies in the basement every summer during her seventh and eighth grade years. That's how he had literally run into her. He was home from being thrown out of college and his father pissed him off. He went to the basement to hide and ran square into her coming around the corner. Binders went flying and Chloe ended up on her back. She was 13 and gawky. They talked for hours until both fathers came hunting for them.

Lex kissed her head and brushed her hair out of her face. She had always had pretty hair; he was happy she has never decided to color it. It was decidingly different than any other woman he had ever been with. Lex wished he could read through the emails they had written back and forth to each other through her years of high school. They never made future plans; she always thought he was out of her league but they stayed the best of friends. He had even picked and dumped girlfriends based on her decisions. Laughing to himself, he realized all those years he was only in love with her.

Now they were going to be parents in six months. He lightly rubbed his hand against her side and whispered, "Sweet dreams," before kissing Chloe on the head once more and falling into a comforting sleep.

Chloe woke to a bright light coming on as the hallway light came on. Turning and looking up, she gasped and quickly caught her breath seeing where she was. Looking down, she had actually drooled on Lex's hospital gown. Lifting his arm off of her, she eased off the bed as he adjusted in his sleep. She looked at the clock; 5 AM. Creeping out the door, she ran into the doctor in the hallway.

"Coffee?" Her vocabulary was limited in the early morning. The doctor smiled and walked her into the lounge.

"He's been cleared to go home tomorrow baring any major changes.." Chloe snapped awake at the announcement.

"He's still in Lala Land." She sat down and sipped the straight black brew. It was disgusting but it was caffeine.

"I understand that, but under the circumstances, I can't hold him here any longer." The doctor sat down next to her. "You'll have a nurse and a physical therapist for the first couple of weeks."

"Then?"

"His recovery is remarkable. He has the highest white blood cell count I have seen in any human." Chloe put down her coffee cup and gaped at the doctor on duty. She had this information in a file on Lex from long before but it never registered.

"What are you referring to then?"

"Your 'husband' has accelerated healing because of it. Most patients that have been in his position died days ago." The doctor stood up and tossed his mug in the sink before heading to the door. "The release papers will be at the nurse's station when you're ready. More patients will be moved into this wing later today to 'preserve the look of a regular hospital.'"

Chloe finished her coffee and signed the discharge papers. Standing at the end of his bed, Chloe said a silent prayer to whomever would listen. She closed her eyes and tried to gain the strength to play the good wife. She knew nothing of what their life was supposed to be. She felt awful for what she was now doing and sorry for Lex for the first time in years.


	5. Moving Home

Chapter 5 - Moving Home

Chloe packed up the last of Lex's belongings that Lionel had brought from the mansion and sat on the small couch while the nurse went through the instructions with Lex and his in home nurse. She knew she should probably listen, but the nurse was his caretaker. Chloe was out of the woods for the first week at least.

Lex became upset earlier in the morning when he was told that he should sleep alone for the first few nights as to get more accustomed to being at home. He gripped Chloe's hand and looked disappointed. Chloe, on the other hand, was relieved. She avoided the awkward moment of sleeping with the enemy a little longer.

"Chloe, we could use you now." The home nurse spoke softly across the room as she helped Lex sit up in the bed. "Ok, Mr. Luthor, easy, don't try large movements yet. We have to get your physical strength up before too many movements." The older woman pulled one leg gently around to the edge of the bed and watched carefully as Lex grabbed the one to throw over the side of the bed. Chloe watched his expression change from confusion to pain and embarrassment. "This is about the time you should laugh at me for being such an idiot for the way I acted." Lex leaned on Chloe's shoulder with one hand and the nurse with the other before sitting in the chair by the bed.

"Not at all." Chloe thought about her words and wondered if she should take any of the blame for her supposed actions with Clark, but she decided otherwise. If she gave Lex the satisfaction of not being the one in the wrong, she would hear more about it than needed.

"Now, you have something laid out for him to wear home?" Chloe looked over at his things and nodded. "Good, let's start with his pants." Chloe froze. The nurse meant for her to help him get dressed. She had gone through the scenarios of sleeping arrangements, faking the headache to get out sex, but had forgotten the little question of his personal needs. Rewinding the conversation that the home nurse was having with Lex, Chloe remembered that she was off on Sunday. Two days away. Chloe felt Lex cup her cheek.

"Honey?"

Snapping out of her shocked daze, Chloe grabbed the black pants that Lionel had brought for him and handed them to the nurse.

"No honey, I want you to practice. Now Lex, you help her until the pants are above your knees and then lean over into me, and she'll slide them the rest of the way."

"Can you just shoot me or just attach my brain to another body." Lex sighed and watched Chloe practically kneel in front of him. His legs felt like they were full of concrete. The bottom of his feet felt like a thousand needles shot threw them as Chloe gingerly lifted each leg into his pants and then helped slide the material under his lower thighs. Chloe looked up as Lex grabbed on edge of the waist and touched her hand. "I am so sorry about this," he whispered.

"I know," Chloe choked back. He was truly remorseful and completely helpless.

"Now, lean into me and help Chloe pull them over you." Chloe positioned herself to one side of the woman and pulled his pants over his silk boxers. She tried not to smile at the matching violet underwear.

Leaning back into the chair, Lex released his grip on the nurse and panted. Closing his eyes, he breathed heavier while holding his hand out. "Chloe." Chloe knelt next to the chair almost instinctively. Taking his hand, it was clammy. Running her hand along his arm, it continued to be warm to the touch.

"I think he's got a fever. Are you sure we should making this trip so soon?" Chloe stared at the nurse in between her glances in Lex's direction. His cheeks were flushed and his eyes closed. She watched his chest rise and fall in erratically. "Lex? You ok?"

"Fine," he breathed through his pain. Continuing to pant, he tried to form words. "Let's just finish it and then I can take a break." The nurse nodded as Chloe retrieved the shirt from his bag. She draped the shirt over his lap and unhooked the gown around his neck.

Lex reached up with one hand and pulled the light cotton cloth from his torso and let it fall to the floor. "God, the cold air feels good."

The nurse waited until Lex took a few minutes to relax and bring his heart rate down. Chloe knelt again beside the chair gazing over his body. There were gunshot wounds she could make out and several deep gash marks. She wanted to giggle at the irony of his injuries. He'd been shot numerous times and yet a hippo incapacitated him. She felt a hand touch hers. Looking up, Lex took her hand and placed it over his now clammy chest. She gulped feeling his skin next to hers but watched his eyes close again to her touch. His breaths became longer and more fluid as he held her hand against his chest. She could feel his heart rate slow through each breath. She scooted closer and placed her other hand on his knee. He opened his eyes and smiled at her, rubbing his hand through her hair.

"Ok, are we ready for the shirt now?" The nurse broke the moment up. Chloe sat up and pulled her hand from chest, taking the shirt and opening it up.

"Can you lean forward a little?" Chloe stood up and leaned toward Lex as he balanced on the arms of the chair. Slipping the shirt around his torso, she guided each arm into the armholes. "Ok, lean back and I'll button it for you."

Leaning back and concentrating on his breathing, Lex took the two sides of his shirt in his grip, "No offense honey, but the only time you need to mess with the buttons is to get them undone." Lex laughed at his statement and then grabbed his still bare chest. "Chloe," he gasped. The nurse hit the button on the bed for assistance as Lex continued to breath more and more shallow breaths. Slamming his hand against the hand rails of the chair, he tried to breath normally and seemed to grunt through the convulsions that writhed through his body.

Chloe pulled one of the pens from the day before out of her purse and popped the top off of it as Lex grabbed the chair and tried to resist the shaking. She could tell he could feel the full effect of this pain. Seeing his chest shaking erratically, she looked through the window and spotted Lionel just peering through out of clear view. Taking the pen, she slammed the needle hard into Lex's side causing the man to scream.

"I'm sorry," Chloe pleaded as she threw the pen in the garbage and pushed against his shoulders until the convulsion started to slow. "Breathe." Seeing Lex's eyes still trying to focus, she pushed against his shoulders harder and repeated, "Breathe. Lex, look at me and concentrate." Her tone was authoritative, almost commanding. Behind her eyes, she hoped he couldn't read her thoughts. She hated to see anyone in that much pain, but she cursed herself thinking that little by little she could be bringing back the same monster that wanted to use her and her mother.

She held his shoulders until she felt his neck loosen its strain and saw his head lean back against the top of the chair. "Ok," Lex whispered as he carefully reached for her arm.

Chloe released her grip against his shoulders and ran her hands down to the second set of buttons on his shirt. Without his argument, she buttoned his shirt for him and sat in the chair that the nurse had brought in for her.

"You did well," the home nurse added. "I'll let you two rest for a little while and then finish getting ready. Mrs. Luthor, he's going to have episodes, but the medication for them will start building up a tolerance in a couple of days, so they should get less." Chloe nodded and sat back in the chair next to him. Looking over at the window, she glanced at Lionel and then back at Lex.

Lex looked eerily still again, his head bobbing back and forth against the back of the chair. She glanced back up at Lionel and waited for some kind of sign. Simply nodding at her, he walked away from the window toward the direction that he had exited every time.

Glancing back over at Lex, he met her eyes. "Thank you," he mumbled, trying to grip her hand. She placed his hand back on the armrest.

"Save your strength. We still have a whole day ahead of us." Lex groaned and turned away from her, closing his eyes. She dug back through his bag and found socks. She carefully knelt in front of him, pulling each sock on gently to keep from waking him. She didn't know exactly what was in the meds that she shot him with, but it packed a punch. She had never seen Lex Luthor so still except when he was dead.

The morning stayed quiet. Chloe continued to gather up supplies from the nurses and prescription orders that had to be filled. Lionel would take care of those. She had no intention on calling in orders as Mrs. Luthor, even if the pharmacy was a fake. The more time she could just fade into the background and only be Mrs. Luthor to one person, the better. The more complicated things became, the longer the charade would have to last.

"Lex," Chloe gently shook him awake. "The car is here. Are you up to leaving?" Chloe pasted on her fake smile as she comfortingly rubbed her hand against his arm. The orderly parked the wheel chair in front of the chair and waited for Lex's decision. Lex nodded and grabbed the armrests. Chloe wrapped her arm around his back as the orderly took him from the other side and turned him into the wheel chair.

"Guess this is my home for awhile." He grabbed Chloe's hand as she picked up her purse and his things. "You bring the Hummer?" Chloe bit her lip and wondered exactly what car was sitting out in the parking area.

"I don't know. I had someone drop off the car where I cold be here with you."

"The Mercedes out of the shop yet?" Chloe thought about an answer, making sure to deliver it while in the room.

"You kind of destroyed that car honey." She patted him on the shoulder as he sighed. She knew that little Mercedes whether his former or current life was his favorite car.

"Guess it's your little car then." Chloe started wheeling Lex down the hall with her eyes closed praying that the magnificent bastard could make miracles. Halfway down the hall, a nurse stopped her.

"The doctor needs to see you." The nurse waited with Lex as Chloe was shown the small lounge from the day before. Pushing the door open, she shook her head and smirked.

"Should have known. What do you want?"

"You need to find out about this other car. And the house. Just keep him close over the next couple of days."

Chloe rolled her eyes and started out the door, "I'm an investigative reporter, remember? The one that put you away. I think I can handle a couple of household details. Now, if you'll excuse me, my 'husband' is waiting for me." Chloe pulled the lounge door closed and returned to Lex's side. Lionel peered out behind the lounge door and watched Chloe dismiss the nurse and pat Lex on the shoulders. Taking a deep breath, he walked out of the ward the opposite direction.

The car pulled up in front of the house and stopped. Chloe leaned over and undid Lex from the seatbelt as the driver pulled the wheelchair out of the back of the vehicle. "We're here Lex."

Lex leaned over and planted a kiss on her cheek as the driver opened the door and let him out. Moving gingerly, Chloe stood next to him and supported his weight as much as she could.

"When did you get this done?" Lex asked as she pushed him up the driveway and the ramp into the house.

"I had someone put it in for the first couple of weeks. It'll come out soon enough and then you can just fall on your ass on the stairs." Chloe watched Lex as he leaned for the door. "It's locked Lex."

Sitting back in the seat, he sighed. "Yeah." Chloe opened the door and pushed Lex into the living room while praying that his memories were vague at best. Dropping the things at the bottom of the stairs, Chloe went and sat next to Lex on the couch. She watched as his eyes perused the house curiously. The place was a strange mixture of modern art and traditional. The furniture still looked heavy and over the top, but gone were the strange historical pieces replaced with colors that complimented both her and Lex's tastes. She reminded herself to be careful how many times Lionel saw her apartment again. Watching Lex's eyes move from piece to piece, she got increasingly worried. The jig is up she thought to herself.

"Honey, you do realize what it means to be out of work."

"Lex, you have more than adequate money to afford the changes. I got with the accountant and your severance package came in. Let's just say, losing our CEO position still pays well even when being booted. Besides, I thought the new look would be more accommodating while you are re-cooperating." Chloe broke a smile and gently touched Lex's knee. "If you don't like it, I can change it back, but just tell me what you want me to keep and what of yours you want back. I just thought…"

"Breathe honey." Lex smiled and shook his head. "I like it, but I … really want the old armchair back, you know the old black leather one? You can throw a blanket or something on it where it'll fit the décor but I liked that chair." Lex stretched in the wheelchair. "Would you help me? I want to lay down for a bit."

Chloe looked down the hall. "Hang on." Chloe left Lex staring at the wall and took a quick tour of the downstairs and then returned. She would have to put him in the guest room since getting to upstairs would be too difficult. "Ok, the downstairs room is going to have to do."

Pushing Lex into the guest room, she gawked at the size of the supposed guest room. "I always knew it was a good idea to build each bedroom as a suite of its own. No guests like to share bathrooms." Chloe parked the wheelchair by the bed and Lex gazed at her. "I love you, but I need to go … ummm" Lex dropped hesitantly. He hated having to put her in the position he had. He hoped that physical therapy would get him back to prime condition soon. He couldn't be without Chloe's touch for too long.

Chloe stopped pulling the sheets back on the bed and froze. Sighing, she took hold of the handles of the wheelchair and started into the bathroom. Lex touched her hand as she stopped the chair in front of the toilet and took a deep breath. She secretly hoped she could actually go through with the job. As she closed the door, a voice came from around the corner that brought a sigh of relief.

"My dear, get out of here. I'm sorry but I had to pick up his meds," the nurse barked as she walked through the bathroom door. Chloe backed up, sliding her hand slowly out of grip. Chloe pulled the sheets back farther and fluffed the pillows as best could be expected. She sat down on the bed and waited, listening for any signs of distress. She was impressed that Lex was handling his situation with such dignity. She wished she knew more about her 'husband.' She hated to admit it, but she somewhat wanted to spend a night just talking to the new version of her personal hell. The door opened and broke her from her thoughts.

"Ok?" she questioned. She could see he was breathing heavily and motioned for her to hold her question for the moment. Once Chloe slid off the bed, she waited until Lex smiled up at her. She nodded and balanced Lex on one side as the nurse helped him into the bed. She was sure it was lower to the ground the bed in the master was.

Lex laid back in the pillows as the nurse disappeared. "Hey, can you stay with me for a bit? " Chloe sat down in the wheelchair next to the bed.

"You should get your rest."

"Last night I slept better than I have in months." Lex reached over and brushed his hand against her cheek. "I want you in my arms baby, even if for a bit. I know you have tons to do." Lex continued rubbing the side of her cheek and smiling as his eyelids got heavy.

"Don't fall asleep yet Mr. Luthor, you need to take your meds." The nurse retrieved some water from the bathroom and returned to find Chloe lifting Lex up with his help. "I see your strength is starting to return, and the drugs are starting to work. Then we can start physical therapy tomorrow and get you around the house." The nurse handed Lex the glass and meds. Chloe moved around to the other side of the bed and sat down.

Thoughts swirled in her head. She was pretty sure that Lex had watched every move of the night she had been taken. She had tried to kill him once and Clark had ruined it. She hated this man with a passion. He was the end all cause for her entire family's disintegration. Her mother had been taken hostage, her father murdered in a questionable way, she herself being threatened by the man. 'I'll make prison feel like a picnic' still were engrained on her brain. The words burned deeper every time she thought of the look of calmness that came over him; the words still made her want to reach over and beat on the man's chest. She stared at him reaching out to her. She could tell her face was drawn and frightening.

"What's wrong?"

Relaxing her jaw, she touched his outstretched hand. "Nothing." She was short with him; she felt bad for him sensing how she felt. His mind besides the obvious creativity and delusions was well attuned to her. He grasped her fingers and pulled her arm toward him.

"Then get over here." Looking up at the nurse, he smiled at her. "I know what the doctor said, and I think he's full of shit. I was in a major accident, lucky I didn't break anything, but I'm not losing my mind. And I'm going to sleep with my wife."

"Fine, but you wake up in pain, don't complain for the morphine." The nurse closed the door behind her and left the two alone.

Lex adjusted himself in the pillows that Chloe had stacked up. Turning slightly on his side, he grunted in pain and rolled his eyes. Chloe turned on her side and stared at him. He looked calmer, even serene. "So, you feeling better at all?"

Lex reached out and traced his fingers down her face and neck, curling her hair behind her ear. "Now I am." He grabbed his side and squeezed, trying to wring out a small cramp in his chest. Opening his eyes once more, he continued to trace his fingers over her body, lingering against her cheek and neck. Looking down at her hand in his, he swallowed hard, "I forgive you."

Chloe's increasingly rapid breathing from the needles that ran up and down her body stopped. She stared questioningly at Lex as he cupped her face and bit his lip. Looking deeper into his eyes, she noticed tears welling up. "Lex, I…"

"Just promise it won't happen again," he whispered as he ran his hand through her hair. Chloe was aghast. She felt his grip increase on the back of her head and neck. Almost feeling sorry for the situation his version of her had done to him, she found herself almost in tears herself.

"No, never."

Lex pulled on the back of her neck as Chloe gave into the pressure. Chloe closed her eyes and imagined whoever she could besides the man laying beside her. Her breathing hitched as she felt his warm breath close to her. If she turned away, he would know. He would either for sure believe that she and Clark were seeing each other or be crushed by the thought of losing his wife forever. She quickly wondered if it was just easier to push him away and crush his ego. But not knowing his tendencies, she wasn't sure if that was the smartest move right now.

On the other hand, the man obviously would walk on glass for her. The Lex she knew at one time in his life would have done the same. They had become confidants, nothing fancy or more involved, just worked well together. She had never seen anything but a rich playboy that had friends in dangerous places. It was a strange place to be; she had longed to be wanted for years in her life, but the cruelest card was now played. Her wanted her.

She felt Lex's lips rub against her cheek and kiss her. She loosened her strain against him and let her head slide closer across the pillow. She felt his lips graze the corner of her mouth as her lips tightened in reaction. Lex's hand moved up her arm and rested on her shoulder as she felt him moan in something between pain and pleasure.

Chloe took a deep breath that caught in her throat feeling his hand tracing her collarbone as his lips kissed all the way around her mouth. Pulling back, he stopped, and she opened her eyes. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she lied. There was plenty wrong. 'We aren't married and I'm not pregnant for starters,' she thought to herself.

Lex ran his hand down her arm and around her waist, pulling her closer. "Then kiss me like the night you met me at work to tell me we were pregnant. I loved that night – you came in with that green negligee on under your coat and I almost fell out of my chair when you put your leg up on the desk." Chloe felt her heart stop as Lex's hand moved to rub her stomach. Her eyes squinted at the visual of her ever having an office tryst with Lex. Somewhere in the back of her mind she still had a difficult time imagining Lex ever finding her attractive and more so the other way around.

She closed her eyes as she gently threw a leg over his. "The doctor…"

"I don't give a fuck what the doctor said." Lex wrapped his hand around the back f her neck and pressed his lips to hers. Chloe flinched before relaxing into his grip. The move was more of a startle that fear now. Closing her eyes, she felt his tongue hint for an opening. Saying a silent prayer to kill the man if he ever came back to his senses, she parted her lips and felt his tongue slide against the roof of her mouth.

Lex released his hand from her neck and traced his fingers down her shoulder. He moaned inside her mouth as he couldn't live without her taste for another day. She was always a mix of spearmint gum and coffee. He explored the inside of her lips as she loosened up in his arms. Hearing a small moan come from her, he slid his hand further down and traced the top of her breast with his finger. Her shirt was a comfortable v-neck that teased him incredibly.

Chloe gasped and opened her mouth form the kiss feeling his finger graze the top of her breast. Pulling out of the kiss, she placed her hand on his chest and drug her fingers down the front of it gently. Lex moaned and smiled at her. "God, I want you."

"I think it's a little soon," she shyly responded. Ensuring her place in hell, she glanced down and noticed that Lex was close but nowhere near what she thought he was capable of. She looked back up and saw Lex smirking.

"I guess you're right. I'm tired anyway. Just at least lay with me." Chloe nodded in agreement and turned over, sliding herself into his touch. She shook slightly as his hand again immediately grazed against and stayed on her belly.

'This is going to be a major issue,' she thought to herself as she could feel Lex start to breath deep into sleep.


	6. A Fragile State

Chapter 6 – A Fragile State

Chloe woke the next morning and turned over. She looked down and groaned at her still in the same clothes that she had been wearing at the hospital for two days. She felt grimy and disgusting as the scent of her perfume had faded long ago for the smell of hospital bleach. Rolling her head to the side, Lex slept soundly, still in his clothes as well. She leaned over to look at the clock and it was 9 PM. Creeping carefully off the bed, she plodded down the hall and grabbed a cup of coffee. Slinging back the coffee, she perused the rest of the downstairs. A formal living room with another piano, a formal dining room with at least a smaller table. Entering the room off the back of the house, she stepped down into the best part of the house. Another pool table accompanied by a very large plasma screen and a dart board, complete with holes already in it. Opening the closet, she eyed the collection of movies with both thrillers and romantic comedies. She laughed and left the room, noticing that the pool table felt was a different color than the mansion. The slightest difference from his reality. She continued down the hall and opened the disappearing doors to the room off the kitchen and breakfast nook. Gasping, she put her hand over her mouth at the sight.

She walked slowly around the room and touch every small object. The small set of chairs and table that were identical to the dining room set. Opening the cabinet on the kitchen station, fine china adorned the shelves. She closed the door and sat down on the small couch that looked like IKEA had decorated the room. She opened the plastic bin and eyed the thousands of rubber blocks. She continued around the room and ran her hand along the playpen, the changing table and the other items strewn as if someone already spent time there. The closet was filled with even more shelves of toys.

She left the room and closed the door behind. What had Lionel done? He didn't know his son's memories any more than she did. He was just making blanket assumptions, unless there were the same arrangements with Lana at the mansion. Guessing she had just hit the nail on the head, tears briefly welled up still mourning her best friend. 'It's going to kill him when he finds out the truth,' she thought.

She went upstairs and noticed the picture at the top of the stairs. His arm was around her as they got off a plane in what she could only believe was a tropical island. Glaring at it, they picture was completely fake.

Shaking her head, she wandered further down the hall and opened the door to a carefully wood paneled room with more bookshelves with copies of the originals in his office. Shaking her head, she couldn't possibly fathom the amount of money Lionel had gone into his creation. She sat down at the desk and pulled out the drawer. The file folders were all labeled with random things. Chloe's pregnancy, Platinum Card bills, Home Improvements, IRS, and others. They were the standard records any family would keep, but on paper. There was not a computer in sight. She pushed the chair in and continued on the tour of the house. Guest room, Guest room, Guest room, each with their own suited bathroom.

She walked in the last room and sat down in the middle of the floor. The room was immaculate, with teddy bears scattered in every corner. The walls had the perfect wallapaper for a nursery and everything in its place. She grabbed a bear from the corner and eyed the pile of parts in the floor in the corner. Down to the detail of putting the crib together. Lionel was thorough. She opened the closet and looked at the shelves of already purchased towels and onezies. It was quite remarkable. She actually could picture Lex's obsession of making sure everything was in its place well before the baby arrived. Placing the bear back in its spot, she closed the door.

Finally, she entered the master bedroom and started the large walk in shower. Opening the closet, she felt weird hoping that Lionel at least of taste in clothes right. She found herself pleasantly surprised as she picked out something. She looked at the ones with the tags still on them. Maternity. Closing the door, she plodded to the shower, finally having time to herself.

Some time later, she walked into the kitchen and grabbed a small dinner and sat down.

"Good evening." The nurse walked into the kitchen and carefully sat down the tray from Lex's room. "He's awake, and is asking for you. I told him you went to freshen up. He's had his dinner and medication, and we've even made it into the bathroom to clean up a little."

Chloe nodded and continued eating. The nurse sat down across from her at the table and drank her last cup of coffee. Chloe figured it was just as well. She would be quickly getting to bed since her total time asleep had not equaled ten hours in four days. "Is he ok?"

"Best that can be expected. The doctor spoke to me about his accelerated white blood count and healing. He's going to be up and around as soon as tomorrow. I just wanted you to be aware." Chloe looked at the nurse as she took Chloe's dishes and washed them. "I'll be back tomorrow morning." Chloe smiled at the woman as she walked out of the door.

Chloe quietly entered the room and picked the book up off Lex's chest and covered him. He was on quite a heavy painkiller. He slept enough to make up for the years he never slept. She pulled the door to and headed upstairs.

The next day was nothing but therapy and trips to the restroom. Chloe watched these sessions of barely making to the bathroom and slightly giggled. He deserved some of what came to him. The nurse had made him walk the entire length of the main hallway with a walker ten times in the morning and again in the afternoon. Chloe took up the cause the evening round when she could tell Lex was seriously tired of hearing the nurse's voice repeat, "Now left foot."

"I'm really tired," Lex gasped the last time he hit the front door and realized that his temporary room was now an eleventh walk to the other end of the house. Chloe guided his body to the rocking chair a couple more paces from the door. "My legs feel like they're on fire." He groaned and closed his eyes.

"I know, but it'll help in the long run." Chloe went and grabbed a blanket covering him up.

"No," Lex answered pushing the blanket out of the way. "Just help me up and get me to the bed." Chloe threw the blanket on the back of the couch and looped his arm around her. Finally realizing the weight of the man, she struggled to keep him as upright as possible. "I really can't stand that woman."

"That's just your pain talking. She's trying to help."

Chloe supported his weight as much as possible before he fell into the bed with a thud. The nurse followed her into the room and handed the man a glass and another handful of pill. Chloe carefully counted them and noticed there was five tonight. "What's the new one for?" She figured she and Lex both had a right to know.

"The little blue one is just a for his sleep. His legs are going to burn a bit and it typically keeps patients awake. So, this hopefully will help." Lex glanced at Chloe and swallowed before handing the glass back to the nurse. "I will be off for tonight, but I will come tomorrow. I'll take an off day some time later in the week. Goodnight." She closed the door behind her.

"Go get ready and come back down." Chloe smiled and nodded uncomfortably. She had some reprieve the night before sleeping alone. Letting go of his hand, she left.

She returned and found him buried in a book. "You still want me to…" She stopped when he pulled the sheets back on the other side of the bed. She climbed in, careful to keep her body a distance apart. "What are you reading?"

"The fourth month. I got a little behind the last few days." He pulled Chloe over to lay on his shoulder as she read along beside him about how exactly she was going to pull off the scam of the lifetime in beginning to show.

Chloe woke to a start. Somewhere in the house she could hear a ringing. Looking over her shoulder, she noticed Lex had shifted in the night and freed her from his grip. Scooting gingerly off the bed, she followed the annoying ringing and found the culprit in her purse.

"Hello?"

"Chloe, is there any way you can get away from the house and over to the airport? Lionel has the helicopter waiting for you. We need your assistance at the mansion."

Chloe walked around the hall into the kitchen and noticed, Janine, the home nurse arriving. She squinted to see the clock. It was 6 AM. They had slept together through the night again. Chloe stopped and wondered if in some ironic way Lex's mere male presence made her sleep better than normal.

"Chloe?"

"Yeah, I was checking to see if Janine was here. Let me jump in the shower and I'll head that way in about 15 minutes." Chloe closed the phone and slipped it back into her bag. She walked into the kitchen and poured a cup of coffee. "You didn't have to make coffee."

"No problem, and it's decaf if he ever asks." Janine winked and proceeded to pull out his prescriptions for the morning. "Go on and get going. I'll let him know that you had to go into work." Chloe rubbed her chin in subtle confusion.

"You know don't you?"

"Yes, I'm part nurse and part secret keeper. Now, he'll be waking up and you need to get out of here." Janine picked up the tray with his drinks and meds on it and disappeared down the hall.

Chloe thought carefully and then jotted a few lines down.

_I've gone to work and will see you sometime tonight. Take it easy. C_

She felt callous for not leaving the obvious three words he would hope for, but she didn't love him. She sighed, thinking of her position and the day before. She closed her eyes and bit her lip remembering the kiss from a couple nights before. He was a really good kisser, much better than anyone that she had ever come in contact with. Too bad he was such a monster all the rest of the time.

"Hey, look who I found trying to get out of bed this morning." Janine came around the corner with Lex dressed in a set of black sweats. Chloe shook her head and smirked.

"You really can't take bed rest literally can you?" She remembered all the times that Lex had previously been in and out of the hospital, told repeatedly to rest to no avail.

Lex slid the note she had written over to him and read it. "Are you going to be late?"

Chloe got up and pushed the chair in and poured her coffee out. "No, they understand of course." She started out of the room and stopped. Turning around, she glanced at Lex and rolled her eyes to herself. Walking back over to him, she reached over and kissed his cheek. "But I will be if I don't get upstairs now. You ok?"

"Better everyday." He rubbed his hand down her cheek and pulled her chin in and pecked her on the lips. "Go." Lex let go of her and waved her off almost commandingly. Chloe walked out of the kitchen and stopped out of site. Turning she wondered how much of his old personality would creep out little by little. The hand wave she had seen before, usually a short while before finding the person dead somewhere. Closing her eyes, she tried to control her breathing as she stumbled to the stairs, crying.

"Ma'am?" Janine caught Chloe midstep up the stairs and held her. "You have to hold it together. You're doing great. Now, get upstairs and then get out of here."

Chloe turned and stared at Janine. She was hired and no doubt completely controlled by Lionel Luthor. Chloe straightened up and glared at the woman, wondering how much of Lex was pure delusion and how much was medicated. "The medications you're giving Lex – what are they? I mean, they are helping him, right?" Chloe eyed the woman to see if she was lying. She would check later when the woman was not around to see if she was on the straight and narrow, but her employment by Lionel was skeptical at best.

Janine continued up the stairs with her and walked her to the bedroom. Sitting down on the much more elaborate king size bed, Chloe sat down next to her. "Everything that the doctor prescribed is relevant and not going to hurt him. As much as you may think Mr. Luthor wants to hurt his son, he actually has done nothing out of the ordinary except keep him from feeling completely insane by telling him the truth. He's taking Trileptal for his seizures which will fade in time, ketorolaco for his pain but that will come down to something more manageable when possible, Abilify for his delusions. That drug though is just a cop out. His disorder needs more than a pill. Oh, and the usual antidepressant. Now get ready and get out of here. Mr. Luthor called you." the nurse reminded Chloe.

"It's about time you got here." Clark stammered as Chloe followed him back down the hall of the mansion and into Lex's office. "Did you bring the equipment?"

Chloe hauled a bag open in front of Lionel and pulled a small cord and box out of the bag and attached it to Lex's laptop. "Where exactly did you find this?"

"The resort they were at in Kenya had it in a lockbox. Lex had evidently not wanted anyone in it since we had to blow the lock off." Lionel and Clark leaned over opposite sides of Lex's desk as Chloe hooked her coding software up to the computer. She punched several codes in and watched the millions of characters zip through the DOS system. "Are we getting anything?"

Shaking her head, she continued to punch in the next set of codes given to her, "It's layered deep." She watched the computer screen blink and glanced at Clark's long gaze around the corners of the room.

Clark opened the small box that adorned the table behind Lex's desk and pulled out a remote. He punched one button and the small stereo in the corner came on. Hitting the same button, it went off. Trying again, he tapped another button. The three of them watched the picture disappear as a screen appeared. Chloe glanced back at the computer, "Nice big screen."

Leaning over and looking deeper at the screen, she opened a file that simply was marked Acquisitions. She figured if they couldn't find his illegal dealing at least finding out what he was doing legally might lead to something. She sat back in the chair and gulped. Acquisitions weren't companies. They were people. "Hey guys," she whispered.

The three stared at the screen as Chloe swallowed hard. Clark put his hand on her left shoulder and slightly rubbed against the scar from her implant. Lionel glanced over and saw her face change from determination to controlled anger. Clicking the link that simply said Sullivan, she forced down the desire to toss the computer across the office.

The three heard the sound come over the loud speakers and gazed at the large screen. She was right there. The night she couldn't remember. The one that had been just between her and Clark. Now Lionel was there and watching. Covering her quivering mouth, she gasped at the men in white suits standing over her, pulling her in all directions. Her mouth was held open as she watched her blood being taken and being injected with something else.

Chloe started shaking as the file played over and over. It had been viewed over 500 times. She shook in the chair with her hands covering her face as tears streamed down it. Seeing her distress, Lionel clicked the stop on the video and put his hand on her shoulder. "It's alright. Chloe?"

She stared at Lionel, tears still streaming down her face. "I don't even know what's … why. Your son is fucking monster." She pushed the chair away and paced around the desk. Lionel caught up to her as she picked up a vase on the piano.

Taking the vase from her, he gripped her by the arm. He placed the vase back in place. "We're trying to fix that, but we need you. You are invaluable in so many ways Chloe."

"But most of this is probably your doing. It's probably something you started and he took over. Remember not so many years ago, you were the monster. Just because you are now Clark's protector doesn't make you any better of a man than Lex."

Clark approached her and hugged her, ignoring Lionel hand on her. "Wouldn't you rather learn the truth now than him pick you up off the street sometime make you do his bidding in exchange for your life?" Clark, feeling her sobs slowing, pulled her away and stared at her. "Those are collections of people. Half of those people have either disappeared or died. I can't lose you too, not like that." Clark stood back and motioned for Lionel to back up.

Chloe stared at the freeze frame of her on the screen. She was begging for mercy. None of which she remembered. Closing her eyes, she sighed and returned to the desk. Closing the file, she opened the remaining files one by one and transferred them to her external drive.

She scrolled once more and saw another Sullivan. She knew it. Clicking the icon, a camera of her and her mother in a holding cell appeared. Lionel, Chloe, and Clark watched the scene that Chloe remembered in detail. She could have killed Lex that day and it would all be over. She wouldn't be here. She closed the clip and continued sending files. "This is going to take some time."

"Let's check out the rest of the house," Lionel suggested to Clark knowing his ability to see through walls was invaluable.

Chloe waited until the two had left and started the video of her mother and Lex. Her lip quivered at the way he talked to her mother. She knew now she was safe in Oliver's care, but it still hurt. He threatened her.

"I'm sorry to hear about your Chloe's dad; that accident was horrific," Lex bluntly stated as he dropped the newspaper on the bed next to Moira. "Now, let's discuss that little matter of a demonstration, unless," Lex nodded and smirked, "you want to be reading about another accident."

Chloe clicked the video closed and slammed her fists down on the desk. She had always thought the accident was contrived. He had died on the way to an 'emergency' at the new Luthorcorp facility in two counties over. It had all been Lex. She checked her emotions and made sure the transfer continued.

After several hours of eating through layers of security, Chloe had transferred all of his files, including even personal photos and black book addresses from his computer to her drive. The two men had long time since taken to walking around the mansion in search for other leads. Chloe wondered how much time they all really had before Lex came out of his fog. She wondered how much of his present condition would still remain if he came to. The mere thought of the situation when he woke from his better dream life scared her. He more than likely would be alone with her. After seeing the video, she was sure he would kill her for taking advantage of him. The fear made her shake.

Composing herself, she didn't dare get lost in the mansion that she still only knew few rooms of. She walked around and flipped the bottle of water over and watched it shatter on the ground, smelled the old liquor bottles that still had contents in them. She flipped open the boxes on the desk and put the remote back. She glazed her hands over his bookshelves, gently tugging on each book to mess up their anal order.

Looking in front of her, a drawer opened. She peered inside at the gleaming handgun. Picking it up, she was startled when the drawer closed behind its removal. Weight controlled. Everything was controlled in Lex's world. Now the tables were turned. She walked over to the computer that she had seen Lex hide behind for so many years, always covering up the latest scandal or hiding the next secret. She had everything off the piece of crap. She laughed wondering if Lex knew Dell was shit. She slid her hand down the grip and took the safety off. Pulling the hammer back, she smiled as it clicked. "Here's to your undoing." She pulled the trigger and jumped slightly as the bullet shattered through the computer causing the computer to shoot in several directions.

Clark appeared next to her instantly. "What the hell are you doing?!" Clark stared at the computer in at least four pieces lying all over the office. "Do we need that anymore?"

Chloe put the safety back on the gun and giggled to herself as if in relief. "No," she responded, waving the gun back and forth. Even with his abilities, Clark seemed to back up from her as she continued. "Here," she said as she handed him an external drive. "That's everything off his main server and then I loaded a Trojan horse on the server. There's nothing left. So, no reason for a computer."

Chloe started pacing around the office, eyeing different things on the walls and figuring the chambers in the gun. "How about this? Can a bullet permeate through slate? Let's see." Pulling the safety off, she fired before Clark could save the bullet from lodging in the middle of the pool table. "And the piano. Damn fucking put you to sleep orchestra crap." Another bullet through the side of the piano.

"Chloe, why don't you give me the gun and we'll let you rest. You obviously…"

Chloe turned and glared at Clark. "I obviously need what? Help? Like what Lionel is giving his son? No thanks. I think my method is better, so back off or I open that safe over there since I know what's in it and the combination thanks to a very anal record keeper named Lex." Clark threw up his hands in retreat. "Oh," she turned, swinging the gun around her finger, "but there are some pictures you definitely definitely don't want to see, if you know what I mean."

"What is going on in here?" Lionel walked in and glanced at Clark who nodded to lay off. "Chloe, dear, let's let go of the gun." Lionel approached her.

"Dad, back the fuck away." Lionel took a step back and eyed Chloe. He noticed the anger in her voice as she dropped the word dad. Chloe noticed the uncomfortable gulp. "What? You're my father-in-law aren't you?" Chloe pointed the gun at Lionel. Clark stared at Lionel.

"Chloe, this is your anger taking over."

"No shit," she dropped matter of factly.

"Chloe, just give up the gun, come on. Obviously the situation is more involved than we pictured it would be and we'll get you out of it." Chloe turned and shook her head at Clark.

"How? I just happen to never come home? No, better, have him think I completely lied to him and I'm having an affair with you. That would just make him exactly like he was." Chloe picked up her bag and slung it over her shoulder. Clark eyed the bag and noticed the contents. Turning back to Clark, she smiled, "You can have that." She pointed the gun at the external drive in his hand. "Good luck."

Turning back to Lionel, she looked at him and then at the balcony where she had yelled at Lex numerous occasions before. She fired two more bullets randomly and saw several books fly off the shelves. "I'm going home, but I want that," she pointed at the black leather chair in the corner of the office, "delivered to the house before tonight." She turned and carefully took aim from across the room. Peering through the small sight, she unloaded one more bullet and watched the bottle of brandy shatter in thousands of pieces. "Concealed handgun classes finally coming in handy. Goodnight." Lionel and Clark watched as Chloe turned the corner and slammed the door behind her.

"Well, that was delightful. Why didn't you take the gun from her?" Lionel marched across the room and picked up the pieces of what used to be a computer.

"She needed to get out some aggression. She's taking on a lot for us." Lionel opened his briefcase and took out another computer and booted it up.

"Now let's see what she came up with." Lionel hooked the external drive to the computer and waited for the icon to appear. Clicking the icon, the drive was empty. Looking over at Clark after seeing the empty folder, he smirked like his son, "And just generally taking from us." Lionel beat his fist against the desk uncharacteristically. "She took it all." Clark stared at the empty file and murmured Chloe's name.

"What now?"

Lionel glanced over at the black armchair and laughed. "I guess she really needs that chair." Lionel picked up his phone and dialed for one of his minions.


	7. One Step Forward

Chapter 7 – One Step Forward

Chloe sat in the driveway trying to compose herself. The drive back to the house was torture. She drove and replayed the video of her and her mother over and over in her mind. Anger welled up inside so heavy that she pulled off the road in the middle of nowhere. Getting out of the car, she kicked the tires and leaned against the car and screamed. She wanted to choke him, put a bullet him, run over the injured man with her car, check for his movements, and then run over him once more to end the job.

She thought about Lionel trying to sooth her feelings. He didn't know how she felt; he was his son, just older and not as well kept. She got back in the car and gripped the steering wheel until her knuckles went sheet white. Slamming her head into the steering wheel, she replayed the rest of the video she watched after Lionel and Clark left in her mind.

_Over a loud speaker, a voice spoke, "I want her sedated during the test." One of the masked men looked in the direction of a window and nodded. The glare in the man's hood reveled a speck of crimson or violet. _

_Her body laid motionless on the table as the men on the video moved about another table where medical equipment mixed chemicals and added to tubes of different types. One hooded man gave a thumbs up to the same glass. "Do we have any idea what the outcome is?" the person behind the glass said smoothly._

"_We have a positive, but no immediate answers from the affected rodents." _

"_Very well. Put the tracking device in and leave us." The hooded man turned around and sliced a small incision in her shoulder and firmly placed the device in. The incision was slight and quickly patched with a professional plastic surgery job. The hooded man turned and pointed out the waiting time to the man behind the glass before attending to his subject._

_It was not a normal evening. He never previously been hands-on with the acquisitions. He had simply left the science to the men in the coats that he paid handsomely. But this one was different. She was an acquaintance, and more now a threat to his career and livelihood. After going through the entire test results now appearing on the screen, he could see the higher levels of meteor rocks in her blood. It was no question with all her run-ins, but the blood was mixed decidingly different than the typical meteor infected. Her content was higher and yet not attached to any of cell-like organisms. Not developed perhaps, not activated more likely. _

_Depressurizing the room, he slid a pair of small white protective boots over his shoes and entered the stark white room with sunglasses on. He eased over to the lab mice and noticed nothing changed for the last hour. Checking the time, he knew that he only had a few more precious moments with the woman. _

_Sliding his hands out of his pockets, he traced his fingers along the side of her face and pushed the one strand that had stuck to her eyelashes out of the way. "Chloe, what are you carrying? What could you tell me?" Lex slid his hand down her arm and seductively eyed the scantily clad milky white skin. Turning around he glanced at the clock and then back to her body. _

"_I bet I made a mistake with Lana." He pulled the small rolling chair over and sat down next to the still unconscious Chloe. Running his fingers down her arm, he took her fingers nimbly through his and closed his eyes. He lifted her hand up and rubbed it against his face and closed his eyes. Laying her hand down, he eyed her small tightly covered bosom and sighed. Running his fingers through her hair, he smiled, "You hold the answers I want; you always have."_

Chloe snapped back to reality hearing someone beating on her window. "Are you ok?" she heard coming from the other side of her window.

She rolled the window down and squinted at the bright light in her face. "Yes officer, just had to stop for a bit."

"Miss, it's not exactly safe out here alone. Maybe you should be getting on unless you need an escort to a hotel for a rest."

Chloe nodded and thanked the older gentleman, starting the car back up. She drove the rest of the way home contemplating her next move. She had the entire contents of Lex's computer, a completely unknowing Lex Luthor, and his father nervous that he tried to play her again. She should feel set. But something was missing.

Pulling in the driveway another hour later, the plan played out in her mind to perfection. She was now in charge of her own destiny and Lex's. This was now her power play. She had watched Lex for so many years try to pull the rug from under his father just to be dragged down by his unconscious need to be loved by the man first. Chloe didn't need, nor wanted, Lionel's love. It was the only way, and the most frightening thing that both Lionel and Clark could imagine. It was the most frightening thing she could imagine. Saying a small prayer, she asked for her father's forgiveness. Wiping her eyes one last time, she freshened up her makeup and walked into the house.

"Lex? I'm home. Are you aw… What happened?" Chloe dropped her purse on the counter and walked around the kitchen island. Seeing one leg, she hurried her pace and fell next to him on the floor. He was covered in something that smelled good. Janine was nowhere to be seen. "What happened?"

She grabbed a towel from the island and wiped his face and shirt off. He had changed from the earlier morning. She realized that she had been gone for almost twelve hours. Looking around for his wheelchair, she smirked at him. "Spill it."

Lex leaned against the cabinet and gazed at his wife with the worst puppy eyes she had ever seen. Clark couldn't beat the look Lex had come up with. "Janine got called away, and we had been working on me using my, God I hate to say it, walker. So I thought I would come in here and lean on the counter and make dinner for us." He laughed as he took the towel from her and blotted the places on his shirt. "I even dressed up for you."

Chloe eyed his burgundy shirt and his unusual choice of jeans. "You look nice. Pick it out yourself?" She dabbed the cloth on his face and proceeded to wipe the last of what was dinner off him. "Come on, let's get up." She stood up and placed the overturned walker in front of him.

Lex took a grip on her arm and another on the counter, pulling himself up before leaning against the counter. "I guess it's ruined."

Chloe peered over the kitchen at the pasta drained in the sink and the remainder of the jar of sauce on the counter. "I think we can salvage something. I'm just glad that you didn't burn the house down." She watched Lex lean into the walker and barely shuffle down the hall to the room. Wondering if he had clothes there, she followed him.

"So, did you fall or have another seizure?"

"Fell like a dumbass." Lex started undoing his pants and pulling on the buttons of his shirt. "Hey, can you get me some thing new to jump into?" Chloe concentrated on the small movements of his hands, struggling to control herself. She could feel them up and down her back like the night before and yet the same fingers pressed buttons and that mouth gave commands to dissect her, to cut her open. Mortified and strangely turned on, she picked up his shirt and threw it in the chair by the door. "Chloe?"

"Sorry, sure. I'll be right back." Chloe took the shirt with her as he leaned back in the chair to rest. She walked up the stairs and threw the shirt in the hamper. Leaning against the wall, she slid down to the floor. Burying her face in her hands, she sobbed. She couldn't do it. She stared at him and knew he was hurting, but he hurt her first. His pain was a figment of his imagination, a very detailed one. Hers was real. He had part of her somewhere in a lab and destroyed her family. Again, she thought about her idea. It was risky, but she hoped for the best. The worse – she would die at the hands of Lex Luthor. Opening her eyes, she wiped her tears away and tried to make her chin stop quivering.

Walking into his closet, she found a nice slate color pullover. The buttons were more than he should be trying to concentrate on at the moment. She closed the door and looked at the picture next to the closet. It was a picture that she had forced a smile through at the wedding. The headshot did not display the dress she had worn but she admitted the picture came out nicely.

Chloe walked back in the room and noticed Lex leaning back in the chair asleep. She laid the shirt down on the bed and pulled the blanket off. Covering him up, she heard her name drop almost silently from his lips as he smiled softly. Closing her eyes, she pictured him over her again on his computer and walked out of the room.

Chloe looked up from the computer a couple of hours later and wondered if she should wake him. They needed to eat and she had cleaned up the mess he had made. He tried; she would give him that. Staring back at the computer, she opened up another file and watched the video. The man was screaming for his life, begging for mercy. She watched another scan just as hers was done. Notes followed the video that explained the power to walk through objects and the experiments that would take place at a later date. All were initialed LL. Vague, she thought.

"My you have been busy today." Chloe froze in her place on the couch and silently prayed. She felt a hand on her shoulder over the back of the couch and turned to meet his eyes. "Now I see why you didn't wake me. How did you get into my father's computer anyway?" Chloe beamed at Lex, biting her lip teasingly.

"Surprise?" Chloe turned back and replayed the video that she had already watched, knowing Lex was not mentioned or seen in the clip. He had been in others. She would have to be careful. "My secret, but I thought it might help our little situation out. Maybe turn the tables on him."

Lex leaned further over the couch, more for balance than anything, and grasped both of her shoulders. "Baby, I love you." Turning back to Lex, she smiled. Lex leaned in and kissed her gently on the lips. Pulling out of the kiss, Chloe reached up to the collar of the shirt she had brought him and tugged on it.

"I know," she whispered almost playfully before returning the kiss, licking his lips before feeling his mouth open slightly. It wasn't a full tongue kiss, but he was good. She thought it was cruel to lead him on, but she now found the key to getting out of her predicament. She had to control the situation as well as Lex ever did. "Come sit with me for a bit." She closed her laptop and grabbed his one hand as he slowly guided himself around the couch's end. Helping Lex down into the couch, she placed the laptop out of reach and rubbed his knee with her hand. "You want me to try dinner again?"

Lex caught her eyes and smiled at her, gazing over her whole body. Chloe felt a sudden urge to run from him; the peering of her body up and down felt like he was undressing her like the video from earlier. "Sure, I'm going to catch my breath and I'll be in there for my meds later."

"What happened to Janine?"

"She got a call from her kid and had to go." Chloe wanted to ask the time the child called and could almost bet that his initials were LL. It would be Lionel to try to play one card that made him feel superior by pulling Chloe's only escape from helping Lex with everything. He was a twisted individual still even though Clark trusted him so. "I have no idea when she'll be back."

Chloe smiled and halfway giggled at the place Lionel put her in. "I'm going to see what I can save from dinner. Come in a few ok?" Lex released his grip on her hand as she headed to the kitchen. Chloe looked around in the refrigerator at the leftovers and threw them in the microwave. She pulled a bag of salad out and threw it on the counter before looking for a bowl. "You want me to," Chloe started hearing Lex shifting slowly into the kitchen before catching her breath when his lips met the back of her neck.

"I love your smell." He balanced on either side of her legs, wrapping his arms around her waist and nuzzling his face into her neck and hair.

"That's dinner Lex." Chloe continued to concentrate on the task at hand as she felt Lex's hands concentrate on her midsection. Feeling one finger slide the front of her shirt up slightly, she hitched a breath and questioned, "Hey, do you want to eat?"

"I thought I was," Lex continued murmuring into her neck as he continued nipping at the back of it. Chloe adjusted her shoulder, elbowed him, and felt him stop. "What's wrong?"

Chloe slipped out of his grip as he held the counter. "I just think it's nine at night and we should eat and just retire. You should be sitting and resting anyway." Chloe moved around the kitchen and finished up preparing the meal that Lex had started and strewn over the floor earlier. Lex grabbed the small pile of pills that the nurse left him and carefully shuffled across the floor and sat down. "You're getting better at that. You'll be upstairs in no time."

Lex swallowed and put his glass down. "I suppose." Chloe heard the sadness in his voice and closed her eyes. She knew it was because her once again rejection of him. "Did you sleep with him? With Clark? You just seem so distant." He continued to stare straight ahead. Chloe stopped and dropped the bowl of pasta on the table next to him.

"I'm not talking about this at dinner. I have told you, I have promised you. Why do you keep beating it?"

Lex looked across the table at her, "Because I can't imagine that you can just put Clark in the back of your mind without any kind of reservation for him. I've seen you around him – you're like this lovesick puppy. But suddenly, I come home and you're all standoffish. If Clark had crashed his car, you'd be by his bedside hour after hour. You always were."

Chloe stiffened hearing the accusations flying through the air. "You are just home from the hospital. I know you aren't much for doctor's advice but you need to follow it to get better. I was at work today, and…"

Lex eyed her, "No you weren't. You never answered your phone. I called the main desk and they said you never reported this morning. I left you voice mails." Lex leaned back away from the table and crossed his arms. Eyeing the ring on her finger, he grunted, "Do you even love me anymore? Do you still want the baby?"

Chloe's eyes snapped up from her dinner as she dropped her fork. Staring across the table, she saw Lex nervously twist at his wedding band. "Lex, I was on assignment. And as for Clark, I was hoping that we could work things out without his interruption. But you seem to bring him up over and over." Chloe shook her head and sighed heavily.

Lex listened to her words while staring off in space. He loved her with every ounce of his being; she had always been the only one even though it took years for him to learn it. Clark was the perfect son, with a hidden prick attitude just under the surface. Lex couldn't imagine his life alone; they had both wanted this. He just truly didn't know where he had gone so wrong. "Did you sleep with him?"

"NO," she answered emphatically. Throwing down her silverware again, she picked up her plate and tossed it in the sink, listening to pieces crash. She watched Lex stiffen at the sound.

Still looking away from her, he asked calmly, "Tell me you love me." Chloe stood behind him and said nothing. She watched as he attempted to turn in his seat and looked at her. "Please Chloe, just tell me the truth." He put his hands up, pleading for a straight answer.

Backing against the cabinet, she stared at her husband. His eyes screamed mercy on his heart. Her husband; she had never thought of that until that moment. Pushing the idea out of her mind, she knew now that Lex was hooked to her. He had seen the computer and thought it was his father's. Lionel hadn't counted on this small nugget of fortune.

Chloe closed her eyes and pursed her lips together. Opening her eyes, Lex still sat sideways in the chair and waited for the answer.

Chloe put her best acting face on and curled up her lip to force the tears to build. Almost inaudible, she whimpered through her building tears. "I love you Lex." She covered her mouth and caught her breath between sobs. "I'm just so worried about you. It's stressful and," Chloe collapsed in a ball on the floor. Looking up at Lex moving slowly toward her, she put her hands on her head and pleaded with him, "God, I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt you."

Lex halfway collapsed on the floor, scooping Chloe up in his arms. "And?"

Chloe buried her face into his chest and sobbed, grabbing his shirt on either arm. "I will never be with someone other than you. And we're going to have a beautiful baby." Chloe looked up his eyes as tears from his face dripped to her cheek. She could feel his grip tighten around her as he buried his face into hair and kissed her repeatedly.

"I love you Chloe. I don't know what I'd do." She heard Lex cut the statement off and lift her face to his.

"I love you," she bit her lip in aguish of the double meaning in the words. She needed him, but not the same way he needed her.

Lex put an arm up on the counter and pulled himself up from the floor. Holding his hand out, he watched Chloe ignore it and get up on her own. "Chloe," he questioned.

"No, I really think you supporting both of our weights would probably be the wrong move right about now." Lex wrapped his arm around her standing next to him now and smiled down at her. "Sorry for the blow up – I'm just stressed out. And I haven't felt really good today. I stopped twice today and thought I was going to have to call for help I got so ill."

Lex leaned against the counter, letting go of her. He watched as she moved back to the table and sat down, breathing a sigh of relief to finally sit down again. Lex shuffled carefully back over and sat down across from her. "Maybe you should also take it easy for a couple of days. Call in sick – it's not like you're pregnant and don't have a reason." He continued eating as Chloe snacked on the rest of her salad.

She honestly had felt sick most of the day but not from a pregnancy. The feeling came and went as she tried to desperately to not confuse the two Lexes. She wished there was more information about Lex's condition. That was her only glitch. She had pretty much control over her situation except for his doctors. They knew they worked for Lionel and would definitely tell him if she asked questions.

"Hey? You about done?" Chloe looked up and smiled as Lex leaned back in the chair and sighed deeply. As she cleaned the table, Lex watched her move about the kitchen. She swore she could feel his eyes move boring into her flesh like the laser from the experiment. But the feeling was different; she glanced over from her pile of dishes and giggled as he leaned against the back of the chair watching her.

Getting up from the table, he pushed the walker to the side and shuffled between counters until he stood next to her. "Hand me that," he pointed at the dainty towel hanging above her head. Chloe looked up and hip bumped him ever so gently. It was worth a shot to make some amends at her end. She would need them to be convincing later. She continued to dump clean dishes in the other part of the sink and watched as Lex picked each one up and dried it meticulously. "You missed a spot," he said as he handed the plate back to her.

"Still anal as ever."

"I was never anal – just careful," Lex put the last dish in the cabinet.

"Bullshit," Chloe halfway coughed. Lex looked in her direction and threw down the towel on the counter. Turning to face her, he glared at her. She had the dumbest grin on her face he had seen since her high school years.

"Well, you're overbearing and a pain in the ass when you're in work mode." Lex smirked and laughed slightly.

"At least it gets the job done." She put her hand on her hip and curled her lip as she lifted her chin. "I don't have to be controlling like someone though."

Lex crossed his arms, carefully leaning his hip against the counter. "You little know it all. You're going to pay for that one." Lex turned, grabbed his walker, and disappeared down the hall.

Once around the corner, Chloe threw her head back and cussed, "Shit." Rubbing her forehead, she wanted to beat against the counter in her stupidity. The man's ego was already fragile. She had to keep reminding herself of his situation. She ran her hands through her hair before walking into the living room. She turned the laptop off, unplugging the external drive and locking it in the closet in the hallway. Heading to the bedroom, she stood outside the bedroom door and took several deep breaths. She was no way feeling like she should ever apologize to the man, but it had been an unfair blow, at least in his present condition.

She pushed the door open and looked around. The lights had been dimmed and water was running in the bathroom. Knocking on the bathroom door, she squinted hoping not to see a naked man. "Come in," Lex softly spoke over the water running. Chloe walked over to the jetted tub and stared at the bubble bath that he had made her.

"I'm sorry about earlier – the control thing."

"Why? It's not like you haven't said that a million times before to me. Actually, I was kind of missing out little one upmanship sessions. Just be forewarned, I let you win this time honey." He took her hand, kissed it, and used her to pull himself up. "Now, relax. I'll see you in a few if I don't fall asleep before that." Pulling her chin up to him, Chloe gulped and closed her eyes. She mentally steadied herself to loosen up before meeting his lips again. She could do this. She felt his lips graze hers and parted hers.

Lex balanced his body by leaning into a wall, forcing Chloe between his body and the wall. Deepening the kiss, he eased his tongue further into her mouth, running it along the inside of her teeth and grazing her tongue with his. Trying to concentrate on the reason she hated him, she continued to convince herself it was all part of the job. And now more important than ever. Running her hands along his chest, she hitched a breath as he jumped slightly.

Lex moaned and let out of the kiss slowly as if to taste her longer. "Still tender, but," he rubbed his hand along her face and through her hair. "I'm not done with you. The bath is lavender vanilla." She watched Lex guide himself slowly along the walls and saw the closet light come on. She eyed to see the towel laying already neatly folded over the towel warmer next to a silk gown and something evidently from her underwear drawer. Lifting them up, they were not her typical underwear.

"Lex?" She waited a moment until he was carefully leaning against he doorframe. "How did you get upstairs?"

"No, I had Janine chase it down before she left. Now, get in there or you're going to force me to help you get undressed." Lex left the bathroom, and Chloe heard light piano music start up in the bedroom. Listening, she realized even his tastes had changed some. She wondered if he really ever wanted to be that monster he had become. Shivering again, she forced the idea from her mind and simply repeated what he had said, "I'm not done with you yet either." Undressing, she slipped into the bath up to her neck and, for the first time that day, genuinely smiled about her predicament.


	8. Deals with Devils and their Sons

Deals With Devils and their Sons – Chapter 8

Chloe stepped into the dim bedroom after a long bath and nearly squinted at the lack of light in the room. She threw her clothes in the hamper inside the closet and started toward the door. "Hey, I said I wasn't done with you yet," she heard a soft yet commanding voice coming from the bed. Looking over her shoulder, she smiled and took a deep breath. Walking over to his side of the bed, Chloe met his outstretched hand.

"I thought you were asleep."

"No, I was waiting for you. I'm so glad that my recovery is speeding up; I don't know how much longer I can go without you. When did you get that?" Lex ran his fingers around the lace v-neck that barely covered her breasts. Chloe jumped slightly at Lex's pleasured laugh. "Glad I still make you twitch. I would worry the day that you didn't."

"I got it about a week ago. I was waiting for the right moment to unveil it, but apparently Janine found it first." Chloe took the guidance of Lex's hand and spun around, showing some leg through the slit up to the hip. Lex stopped her spin in front of him and took her hand.

"Get up here now." That tone was back. She prayed silently to herself as she moved around the bed, making sure to enter with the slit first. She hadn't had to shave like she just did since her time with Jimmy, and yet it didn't seem to matter. The man actually said he didn't care. But Lex was a different story; if she was going to play the whole part, she was going to play the billionaire's wife down to perfection. It was almost a challenge now. She giggled to herself thinking that after this she should get at least an Oscar nod. "What's so funny?" Lex asked noticing her smile.

"Nothing, so you said you weren't done with me yet?" Chloe propped herself up on her hand and looked down at Lex. This man was a monster. His features that were softer than his old self softened even more against the dim light and made Chloe shudder. This man could not return to his old self. She swore she would personally slam him over the head with a 2x4 to keep him in this state. For two reasons, she didn't mind the pampering he obviously has cooked up in his mind and because she's afraid of the outcome of his becoming himself.

Lex broke her concentration by shifting under the sheets and guiding his hand down her shoulder, loosely removing the spaghetti strap. Easing into her, he propped himself up and kissed her shoulder tenderly up to ear, just nipping on the lobe. "You look so incredible tonight," he whispered. Under his hand, he felt Chloe shudder at his heat against her neck.

Chloe's mind just shot into high gear with the thought of the ensuing act to come. Calmly walking through items of importance, she counted back and realized her last Depro shot was still good. Suspecting the house was bugged, she somehow couldn't take Lionel watching intimate moments, even if they meant nothing. She looked around the room and looked at Lex. His eyes gleamed as he gazed at her. "Can we turn off the lights?"

Lex looked at her quizzically and then nodded. Turning to the bed table, he turned the small lamp off and carefully felt for his wife's body. "Don't need the light anyway." Chloe tried to focus in the dark but all she could feel was his breath creeping up her arm as he gently kissed every part of her shoulder. "Lay down," he whispered in her ear.

Biting her lip to keep her jaw from shaking, she closed her eyes and tried to think of her next move in her plan. Videos. Find a link to Lionel. 33.1. Lex's lips down my collarbone. Her eyes shot open at the last thought. Hitching a breath, her face felt flushed. She felt his body against her side. She raised her free arm to meet the one he balaced on. Grazing her fingernails down his arm, she felt the definition of each arm muscle that was holding him over her.

"Ahh, I can't do this very long." Chloe's focus broke clear as she felt Lex retreat and lay down beside her. Feeling the other side of the bed lower, she listened as he groaned unhappily and apologized. "I was really hoping."

Chloe swallowed and thought carefully. If she took over, she would call the shots and be able to stop and start at her whim and not his. She needed this control over something so private. It already scared her that the man she hated more than anyone could cause her pulse to race. His body awakened feeling no other man, namely one, had never triggered. She had to keep it in check. It was physical. It was to be convincing and nothing more.

Turning over, Chloe ran her fingers up his arm that she could barely see with the help of the outside streetlight. Leaning over, she nipped his ear and purred, "Let me try." Hearing Lex groan and his body shudder, she sat up and ran her hands down his bare chest and back up to the pillow on either side of his head. Straddling him, she carefully stayed up on her knees to keep him from either being injured or too excited. She leaned over and licked his top lip carefully before feeling his mouth invite her.

Balancing on her elbows, Chloe deepened the invited kiss until she felt Lex's tongue reach the back of her throat. His taste was different than she ever imagined. It was sweet, like mint. Feeling him continue to deepen the kiss, her mind wandered; he hadn't had one drop of alcohol since the accident. There was none in the house and no discussion of its lack. Was this part of the new Lex? She had to ask sometimes, but not now. Feeling his hand winding his way through her hair, she moaned on cue and pulled out of the kiss.

"I love you Chloe," he gasped as she pulled up away from him and sat up on her knees again. Rubbing her hands down his chest, she could feel the six pack that was slowly disintegrating. Her breath caught in her throat as Lex's hands graced her arms like in the video. They were barely touching her and made her body feel like fire. Sighing a shallow breath, she gasped and closed her eyes again as she turned her head to the side. She knew it wouldn't help. "Baby, you're trembling."

Chloe bit her lip and tried to calm her body as Lex grasped both of her arms. "I'm just nervous; I don't want to…"

She felt his fingers cover her mouth, "I'll tell you when honey."

"Ok," she choked out. Closing her eyes again, she had a small talk with herself. He's a man. You haven't been laid since Jimmy left, and that wasn't much. You've had more fun with a battery operated. Her thoughts were cut off with an uncontrollable moan as Lex slipped the straps of the gown off her shoulders and cupped her breasts.

Lex closed his eyes and concentrated on breathing evenly where he could continue longer. His side started to twitch with a slight pain, but he wasn't quitting. He wanted to taste her, to feel himself in her, thinking back over the night they had first made love. They had fucked before, but that night was the one where he fell in love with her. Hearing her sigh again, he continued to knead her breasts, carefully flicking her nipples until they were taught.

Chloe was close to losing herself as she couldn't see what Lex could do with just her breasts. She thought to herself that the rest would be too overwhelming to keep her head about her. "Oh God," she gasped as she moaned harder and felt her knees giving under her. She could feel him harden under her. "Oh shit."

"You have some new boyfriends named shit and God? Come on Chloe, say my name." She felt her arms automatically go up as his hands pulled the gown over her head. Feeling the silk slip away, she couldn't tell the change in temperature her body was so hot. Lex slid his hands up her stomach and again grasped her breasts harder and kneaded them.

"Oh Lex," she gasped as back arched in his direction as if begging for more. "That is so good," she gasped as his hands slipped back down her waist and played with the band of her underwear.

"I'm going to need some help now honey." Chloe snapped back to reality hearing his deep voice somewhat ask, somewhat command her assistance. She carefully destraddled him and pushed the sheets further down and gulped silently. Feeling along both sides of his waist, she hooked her fingers and slid his bottoms off, tossing them on the floor with her gown. She felt his finger hook inside the leg of her underwear and slide around the thigh one way and the other.

Lex groaned deeply feeling the heat that was building between her legs. He wanted to make it last, but the pain was getting worse. Taking another shallow breath, he traced his finger deeper between her thighs and pushed the small patch of cloth out of the way. She was already soaked as he slid his finger in her and pressed it forward. He felt her grab his thigh as she let out loud whimper.

Chloe was lost. Breathing rapidly, she tried desperately to think of other things, errands she needed to run, calls she had to make, but her mind continuously came back to the pulsating motions that went on inside her. She felt Lex insert another finger as he reached for the wet patch and ripped them clean off. "Lex," she breathed trying to end with the word 'stop'. But only repeating his name occurred.

"Sit on me." Chloe snapped again. That voice continued to quietly give orders. She shivered at the conflicting feelings. He felt so good; he was an incredible specimen of a man, but he was a fucking Luthor. Literally, so thought to herself. Feeling his fingers pull out of her, she could smell her scent in the darkness. She watched in the pale light that had formed that Lex held his fingers out for her. Closing her eyes, she felt her mouth close down on them as her tongue swimmed for somewhere to go other than her fingers.

Lex pulled them out slowly and guided her carefully back on top of him. Chloe straddled him again on her knees as Lex took her by her sides and guided her down. She gritted her teeth and moaned as she felt his length enter her. Lex held her hips and controlled the slow motions as he raised and lowered her.

Chloe looked down and wondered of the face she saw was the same one most women in Metropolis had seen. It was contorted and as stiff as hers was. "Dammit," he grunted. "Fuck," he breathed heavy and let go of her sides. "God, it hurts. Baby, you gotta…"

Chloe breathed a sigh of relief and said a silent 'thank you' to the heavens as she pulled off of him and moved to his side. She gazed at his naked body with her juices glistening in the bare light. "I'm sorry baby."

Lex regained his composure and groaned again, taking her hand. "Could you try help it out." He ran his hand up to her face and cupped her cheek. She could still smell her on his fingers. She felt his hand motion her down. Gulping, she scooted back to line her naked body up to reach him without hurting him. Lionel, you are so paying for this, she thought to herself as she took his shaft in her hand and started pumping.

"Lex?"

He wasn't moving, he wasn't even making noise. She continued to pump. "Fuck Chloe. Stop!" Immediately she let go and sat back up as Lex groaned and writhed in agony. "Go get me a cold washcloth please."

Chloe nodded her head and jumped off the bed, feeling her way to the bathroom. She turned on the light and wet her washcloth. Leaving the bathroom, she glanced at Lex before shutting the light off. He was a beautiful body; too bad his heart was ice and his soul black. Handing the washcloth to him, she climbed back on the bed and started to pull the sheets up.

"No, I'm warm. I feel like…go get a pen," he grunted as Chloe opened the opposite bedside table. "Just in case. I'm so sorry."

Chloe laid down beside him and placed her flat palm on his chest like the hospital and could feel his heart slowing. "Where's the washcloth?"

She felt Lex slightly giggle, "Guess."

"Oh," she embarrassingly answered. Lex took her into his arm and continued to slow his breathing. "It was too soon."

"But we need to take care of something." He grazed her breast with one hand and rolled her on her back. She closed her eyes as his fingers grazed her warmth again and moved in an effortless circle at just the right point. This man knew all the moves. That scared her; she could fall too easily for this.

"Oh Lex," she slipped. She meant to say anything but his name as his circles became more focused and faster. She cried out when he inserted a finger and continued rubbing her spot. No one else had ever found her spot. She bit the inside of her cheek trying to cause pain to drown out of the ecstasy she was under. She couldn't concentrate. All thoughts, even those of the video, made her tremble.

Her body started to jump slightly at each movement against her clit as the pumping became deeper and faster. Lex twisted her nipple slightly, and Chloe arched her back and screamed. Tears welled up and poured from the corners of her eyes as she cried during her nearing climax. "Come for me Chloe, please honey," Lex whispered as he pumped her harder and faster.

She cried out and shook repeatedly as Lex continued pumping and massaging her breast through the orgasm. She felt her wetness cover the sheets as she came. Her heavy breathing ceased, leaving in its place uncontrollable sobs.

Lex pulled out of her and slowly shuffled to the bathroom. Chloe listened to sink and held her breath trying to keep from crying. She was incredibly turned on and felt defiled all at the same time. Her thoughts were conflicted. Grabbing her chest, she tried to slow her breathing as the bathroom door opened to reveal her curled now into a ball. "Chloe?" She could just hear footsteps toward her, and she flinched at his touch. "Honey? What's wrong? You're shaking." Lex sat on the bed next to her and gently tugged on her to sit up. "Come here, Chloe breathe honey. What can I do?" Lex wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into his naked body.

Chloe's sobs slowed, making way for a runny nose that was so much more attractive. "I'm sorry. I…"

"Shhh. Relax. I love you." Chloe wanted to return the gesture, but could only concentrate on the fact they were both still naked in each other's arms. The one thing she wished to avoid. At least he didn't finish in her, she thought. That would have killed her in retrospective.

***************

Chloe woke the next morning turned towards the window with the sun peeking through. She rolled over and stared at Lex spread out over the bed and carefully pulled the sheet over his privates. It was definitely different in the daylight she thought. She remembered all semblance of her underwear was now a cloth shred. Picking up the black gown off the floor and slipped it on. She rubbed her eyes as she plodded to the kitchen for coffee.

"Shit," she said as the doorbell rang. Yawning, she leaned against the wall and pried the locks open and flung the door open. "We're not interested," she casually dropped not realizing where she was.

Lionel eyed the young woman in the skimpy attire. "Interesting choice of clothing Chloe. I am under the assumption that my son is still fast asleep." Chloe watched the man march into the entry way without her permission. He had practically pushed the very tired Chloe out of the way.

"You shouldn't be here, but of course you know Lex is still asleep. You probably have this whole fucking place bugged."

"Yes, and the show you and my son gave last night was something. Maybe you could call me next time before you engage in that. Also, you need to hold it together or he will get suspicious." Lionel sat down on the couch and looked over his shoulder as Chloe ignored him for the kitchen.

Pouring her a cup of coffee, she stared at him. "I just blame it on pregnancy mood swings. Do you love Lex? I mean you never call him by name. 'My son' is so condescending."

"I assure you I love him. But I worry about you."

"Uh huh. Now if you're done making up lies, I will thank you for the chair that you obviously smuggled in here earlier since it's here now and for you to get the hell out."

"You have something I need." Chloe sat her cup down on the coffee table and smiled at the man across the coffee table. Lionel sat back in the couch as if not to leave any time soon and adjusted his tie. "I have time if you need to get dressed and then retrieve my property from the closet. Clever putting a lock on it without my permission. Soon, you'll be redoing the playroom for your little, oh never mind."

Chloe was disgusted with the whole conversation. "You know for wanting me to help you, you're being a real ass. Is this the way you deal with business partners? No wonder the last two mergers didn't go through. Your pissed them off on the elevator on the way up."

Chloe got up and headed back into the kitchen. Lionel followed her and grabbed her by the arm. "I think you underestimate me. I won't make the same mistake twice. My son could just as well rot in Belle Reve. Remember everything he did to you and your family," Lionel growled into her ear. "It's as if you're trying to protect him, but you don't even know him. Last night proved that," he hissed.

Chloe felt his grip increase on her arm and tried to pull away. Smiling at Lionel, she called, "Lex, breakfast!" Lionel's hand immediately let her go as he heard movement from down the hall.

He poured himself a cup of coffee and leaned against the counter. Lex slowly came around the corner and stopped in the doorway. Glaring at Chloe and then at his father, he rolled his eyes. "What's he doing here."

Chloe handed Lex a cup of coffee and pulled a chair out for him to sit in. "He came by to drop off your chair that had gone back to his office. And now he's leaving," Chloe stated and glared at Lionel.

Lionel sat his cup down on the counter and smiled at his son. Lex turned away and flipped through the mail from the day before as if interested him. Passing the calendar on the refrigerator, he glanced at Chloe. "Oh, I hope you two have a good trip to the OB. Send me some pictures."

Chloe stared at the calendar and saw the appointment and smiled back at Lex, who beamed in excitement. Turning back, she followed Lionel to the door and held it closed. "You really are the devil. Scheduling fake appointments?"

"My dear, the appointment is by no means fake, and Dr. Hancock is expecting you. The address is in your junk drawer. Let me know how it goes. By the way, Clark and I found out Lex has been funneling money into the Daily Planet from Luthorcorp. He was going to be your boss. Now, wouldn't that have been fun. I sold all the shares away this morning to various individuals for a good price." Lionel leaned over and kissed Chloe on the cheek before she pulled away and wiped her face. Slamming the door, she went back in and sat down next to Lex at the table.

"Sorry."

Lex placed his hand over her arm and gently squeezed. "The audacity of that man amazes me. I mean his general appreciation for my welfare is incredible. I mean who picks a lackey over his own son to succeed him."

Chloe stopped mid-drink and put her cup down. Lex had walked away because his father had pushed him from the company in his eyes. "Baby, I'm sorry." She stopped before saying anything else. She had called him baby without thinking about it. It felt natural for the first time. She promised herself her first moment alone, she would rewatch the video to convince herself she was still in danger. The man holding her hand could very well turn around and kill her.

"Any interest in helping me up the stairs? I want my own shower and to pick out my clothes before we have to leave for the doctor's office. Chloe smiled at him as she put both cups in the sink and helped him up. He was moving faster and without the walker this morning. Her feeling sorry for him was almost over.

*************

"Good morning Chloe." Dr. Morgan showed her and Lex to a room and closed the door behind him. "As per your appointment schedule, Dr. Hancock had you coming in for an ultrasound. I'll leave the room and let you change and get set up." Chloe nodded as the doctor pulled the table out and pulled a gown out.

Chloe stopped and handed Lex her purse. Sitting next to him, she took a deep breath. "What's wrong? We've been here before honey."

"But what about the regular doctor?" She was more concerned about the sudden switch form the doctor Lionel mentioned. This had to be his doing. Lex patted her on the back and nodded.

"Come on, get undressed. We'll get some pictures for the frig, go have some lunch, and do some baby shopping."

Chloe undid her blouse, strangely comfortable in front of him after the night before, slipped on the gown, had Lex tie the back and lowered her skirt. Climbing up on the table she gasped at the cold metal her thighs came in contact with. Lex tried to jump up and then giggled at the reason for the painful look on her face.

"Good," the doctor said peeking in on the two. Lex moved the chair over and sat next to Chloe, taking her hand in his. Chloe closed her eyes as the doctor parted the gown and squeezed the cold jelly on her. She prayed that Lionel fixed everything just as well here as he had done everywhere else. As the doctor passed over her soft stomach, he turned a couple of dials on the machine.

"Hmm." The doctor hung the handle back and shut it off.

"What?" Lex asked puzzled.

"Just a minute," the doctor pointed out and left the room. Chloe and Lex looked at each.

"I'm sure everything is ok," she reassured Lex, knowing Lionel wouldn't string her along to take the fall.

The doctor entered and brought another man in a white coat with him. Starting up the machine again, he hit record and proceeded to scan all of Chloe's belly slowly. After about 15 minutes of film, Dr. Morgan shut the machine off and smiled at Chloe. "You are welcome to get dressed now Mrs. Luthor. Mr. Luthor, would you like assistance? If not, the nurse will show you to my office when you two are ready." Lex looked at Chloe's belly and beamed.

"Thank you doctor," Lex smiled as he started to wipe the jelly off of Chloe's belly. Thoughts of the doctors substituting ultrasound pictures from other mothers for Chloe went through her mind. He would go to any lengths to keep Lex locked into his own new world, not that Chloe was minding Lex's new version of himself. At least this one didn't want to cut her open and experiment on her.

After a few minutes, Lex held Chloe's hand in Dr. Morgan's office as he entered and sat down. "So?" She glanced at Lex and saw a smile that stretched from ear to ear. She had never seen that smile truly meant for happiness. He usually reserved it for sarcasm.

"Mr. Luthor, this," Dr. Morgan placed a picture on the desk to show them, "is a normal fetus at this time of pregnancy. You can view the body and make out a heartbeat." The doctor placed another picture on the table. "Sir, this is the ultrasound of your pregnancy Mrs. Luthor. I honestly don't know how Dr. Hancock led you to believe." The doctor folded his hands and looked frankly at the two of them. Chloe could barely feel her hand from Lex's grip. "There was no heartbeat. My colleague and I re-watched all 15 minutes of the taping. I'm sorry, but there was a mistake. You've…never…been…pregnant."


	9. Take the Bad with the Good

Take the Bad with the Good – Chapter 9

Lex slammed the car door and started up the ramp to the house. Chloe jumped out of the car and tried to pull his walker out of the back but heard the back door of the house slam and quit trying so hard. She ran her hands through her hair in frustration. "Appointment not go so well?"

She whipped around and saw Lionel standing next to a car at the end of her drive. "How do you think it went?" She approached him and growled, "You were supposed to be helping his recovery. You put a knife in his heart and twisted it all around you sick son of a bitch."

"My, such language from a Luthor is unbecoming."

"Get off of it. What are you trying to do here?" Chloe paced and stared at the eldest Luthor wondering what his problem was. He was supposed to be working on 33.1 and Lex's other underhanded projects, trying to destroy the other version of him. Instead, he seemed to spend more time creeping around their home.

"I'm keeping you updated and keeping myself informed. Here." Lionel handed her an envelope. Opening the envelope, Chloe stared at the picture and back at Lionel, confused. "What is this?"

"Clark went to Oliver Queen about the 33.1 facilities, and they proceeded to take one down very near to Billings, Montana. When they got there, one of the people actually imprisoned there told Clark about a warehouse that he had been taken to back in Metropolis. I went to check it out and found this. And this." Lionel handed her another picture.

"A warehouse? This is me." Chloe stared at the picture and saw the shimmer of the eyes didn't match those of either of them.

"No, they look like you. The video you watched of Lex taking samples from you; they served a purpose. I haven't gotten to the bottom of the entire story, but of course I can't, with you holding the main piece. But it seems my son was quite fond of you even in his former life." Lionel looked at the picture and held it up next to Chloe's face and smirked. Leaning over, he took the pictures from her and whispered, "I wonder what things he wanted to use your clone for? I can think of one."

Chloe backed away from the car and swallowed as Lionel smirked again before getting in the vehicle. She shivered up and down at the mental picture of Lex with a figment of her and of Lionel imagining the same thing. Turning and looking back at the house, she closed her eyes and sighed. "He is not a monster, he is not a monster, he is not a monster," she repeated to herself.

Chloe walked in the back door and heard silence. She peered into the living room, guest room, and kitchen before heading up the stairs. She went into the bedroom and threw down her coat. Leaning against the bed, she was puzzled. Lex just disappeared. She hung her coat up and heard something drop from down the hall. Quickly, she pushed the door open to the nursery fully expecting the man she used to know to furiously grab her and demand what happened.

"Lex?" she said quietly knocking on the door.

He sat quietly in front of the pile of pieces to the crib. He had set the different larger pieces methodically against the walls and was buried in the instructions. "Can you go get a Phillips, a flathead, and metric set from the garage?" He didn't look, just continued reading.

"Lex. Let's not do this now." Chloe approached him slowly and sat down next to him.

"Please, I can't make it down and up the stairs again." He put the instructions down and stared at her. If he had been anything remotely like his old self, the stare would cause her to run. It meant something was coming. He flipped her hair behind her ear and kissed her cheek. Grasping her hand, he intertwined his fingers in hers and stared at the pieces against the wall. "I don't blame you. I should have known something was wrong when the location of the doctor's offices changed. Up until today, you had just met me at the employee medical center. I thought maybe because of the ultrasound we had to go somewhere different."

"Lex, relax. You're going to worry yourself into an episode." Chloe could feel his hand becoming slowly warmer. She reached around and ran her hand up and down his back, trying to find the words to make him feel better.

"Can you please go get the tools," he paused. "Unless you just don't want to have a baby." Lex turned and stared at her. She didn't; he was exactly right. She had no intention on becoming pregnant for him or anyone else at the present time. There was only so far she would take the sham. She got up and silently left the room. Walking out to the garage, she noticed the H3 in the garage.

She picked through the tools and hopefully found everything that he wanted. Returning to the room, he hadn't moved. He stared at the walls. She peered around the corner of the door and watched his tears fall onto the floor. Pulling himself up against the changing table, he stared at it. He ran his hand along the cool, cushioned changing area and sobbed.

Chloe stood in the doorway and could barely contain her tears. Lex having a baby wasn't something else to control, not in this life. He wanted to be a father. He was crying about not being able to change diapers, the one thing that fathers tried to avoid.

Lex walked slowly over to the closet and opened it. Pulling the door open, he pulled one of the onezies off the shelf and unfolded it. Holding it out to see, he wadded it up in his fist and threw it across the room. His breathing increased as he leaned against the dresser decorated with bear appliqués. Staring at the empty picture frames, slammed his fist into the side and threw one of the frames across the room and nailed the wall with a shatter of the delicate glass.

Chloe's body stiffened as she gripped the tools tighter and pulled back out of sight. Lex leaned against the wall and groaned. He was in pain again. Pushing the rest of the decorations off the dresser, he cussed, "Fuck! I'm going to kill…" Chloe strained to hear as his voice disappeared behind his hands as he slid down the wall and ended in a whisper. He stared at the broken glass on the picture across the room from where the frame had accurately landed and fell. Breathing deeper and easier, he leaned against his knees and then slammed his head against the wall in confusion.

The room looked different than he remembered. He loved the teddy bears; he had remembered almost the same look in his room as a young child. The wallpaper seemed eerily the same. He eyed the side of the crib and noticed the pictures on it. He didn't recall the place they had actually bought the furniture from for the nursery. Some things still were fuzzy in his mind, mainly those from recent memory. He recalled visiting the mansion right after the announcement but couldn't recall whether he had asked for the pieces. Rubbing his hand against the appliqué on the side of the dresser, he noticed the small notches painted over on the side. 'LL.'

Lex pulled himself up and carefully maneuvered to the other side of the room, gingerly picking up shards of the glass frame and throwing them in the garbage can. Chloe watched as he placed each piece of his proverbial broken heart in the garbage and felt for him. There was no way she would satisfy his want, his need it seemed, but she felt for him. It was unfair that Lionel would drag his own son through so much pain just to play her at her own game it seemed.

Still it was hard to ignore the fire in his eyes and the immense anger that was built up inside of him even now. His old self was still buried somewhere, deep, but still there. She knew she couldn't just ignore his pain. He could be more dangerous every day. He was getting stronger and that scared her. She cautiously pushed the door open and walked over to him, putting her arm around him. "We're going to be ok."

Lex turned and leaned into her, cupping both sides of her face. "Help me, please." She held his hand as he scooted along the wall and held out one piece of the railing and pointed at the other. Looking at her still standing there, he pleaded, "Chloe, just give me this. I just need to think and want it done for the day we are actually pregnant." Chloe nodded unemotionally and held up the piece that Lex had motioned to her.

Several hours later, the two stood in the doorway and stared at the crib that had been one of the worst engineering feats known to man. For two hours they miraculously put pieces backwards and upside down before getting it right. At one point, the whole ordeal caused a breakdown where the two fell into each other actually giggling but still didn't speak about having no baby for the crib.

"I have to go to the store for a couple of things? You want to tag along?"

Lex looked at Chloe and smiled, "You're not mad at me? I kind of acted like an ass."

"I thought you would be mad at me honestly." He leaned over and kissed the top of her head. He was angry; he was emotionally drained. The missed opportunity of fatherhood killed him, but Chloe was still there. He could lose one, he thought, but not both. He had been empty for so long, and although they fought about stories she could write about them, he loved her just the same. She was the fire constantly lit under him and yet the one thing that calmed him.

"No," he said hesitantly, "but we're picking our own doctor the next time around. I haven't finished with that Dr. Hancock yet, but as soon as I'm feeling up to it," he paused. Chloe took a deep breath, realizing that there were indeed slight parts of Lex that still remained. For some odd reason, she was actually glad to see the calm anger on his face. It wasn't a look she ever liked being on the opposite end of, but strangely was nice to know that he hadn't turned into a complete puppy dog. Looking down at her, he met her eyes and leaned down for a quick kiss. "But for now, I think a trip out of the house would be nice."

He let go of her and carefully followed the wall down to their room. She leaned against the doorway of the nursery and stared at it longingly until she saw he was out of sight. She had to miss something that was never there. It was all surreal. She walked around the room and again glanced at the stuffed animals. Picking up another small bear, she focused on the eyes. They seemed to gleam. Looking at eye, it wasn't solid.

"Fuck," she whispered to herself. She took the pliers and pried the eye off. Wires flowed from the inside of the bear and led to small box that popped out when she pulled the hole open. Dropping the pliers, she went back into the hall and waited. When she heard the water of the shower start, she ran downstairs with the bear and found her phone.

"Pick up, pick up," she impatiently repeated.

"Hello?"

"Clark, it's Chloe. What are you doing in ten minutes?"

"Cleaning the kitchen, why? Aren't you and I not supposed to talk or at least on the other line?"

"This is important and besides I'm really tired of letting Lionel Luthor know every little thing that goes on here. Lex and I are going out to the store and I need you to sweep the house. I found a bug in a goddamn stuffed teddy bear in the nursery. And I know there's at least one in clean shot of the bed in the guest room. I'm fully expecting one in a similar position in the master. Check everything, ceiling fans, lights, other random objects. How long will you need?"

"Take an hour or so."

"Good."

"Chloe, is everything ok?"

"If you count Lionel rubbing Lex's failures in his face this morning, trading out doctors and telling him point blank I'm not pregnant, and leaving me to pick up the pieces, everything is swell. I don't trust him. He's playing another game entirely. I have to go." Chloe clicked off the phone and erased the history of the calls as she heard Lex descend the stairs. Looking up at the man on the bottom stair, she smiled gently, "Ready?"

**************

Chloe and Lex returned several hours later. The house looked exactly the same except for a small sticky note on one of Chloe's binders with an exclamation point on it. Seeing Lex disappear down the hall, she opened it up and read, "Done. How's married life?" Chloe waded up the small paper and pushed it down the drain before starting the disposal and turning on the water.

The two spent dinner in an uncomfortable silence. They had helped each other in the kitchen and strangely knew what each needed to do without speaking. She watched Lex push his food around the plate and finally sit back in the chair without eating. "Want to talk about it?"

"No," he answered flatly. He took another stray bite and sighed. "You couldn't tell?"

Chloe looked up and waited for this conversation. He had said before he wasn't going to blame her, but she wondered how long that would last. "Work has been stressful, and you know me. I work through things."

Lex leaned over the table and pondered her statements. "Come with me." He held out his hand and guided Chloe back into the nursery. Pushing the door open, he carefully sat down in the middle of the room and slowly spread his legs out. Pulling her down, he held her around the waist in between his legs, resting his chin on her shoulder. "Do you really like this nursery? I mean is it us?"

Chloe looked around the room and admitted to herself that it was cute, but not what she would have imagined that they would settle on. Trying desperately to cover her tracks, she smiled up at him and answered, "I think it's cute. And good for both a boy or a girl."

"Did you want a girl or a boy?" Lex kissed her cheek and rubbed her now non-pregnant belly for the first time since the trip to the doctor.

Chloe stiffened in his grip and took a deep breath. She had no idea if she and Lex had discussed this before his accident. Was this a test or was he really curious? She closed her eyes and then smiled up at him once more, all the while his grip remained around her. She had to be careful. One type of answer would lead her to blowing the sham, another would lead her to the bedroom to certainly try again. She wasn't ready to give up either at the moment. "I just wanted it to be heathly; it wouldn't have mattered."

Lex nodded and looked as if he was tearing up again. "And me? It's hard to remember sometimes." He sat and wondered at her reply. Chloe was the one thing he could trust in his world.

"A son. It's been that from the very beginning." Chloe figured there was no other possibility. She stood firm on her decision to answer him out right.

Lex hmphed at her reaction. Chloe looked over her shoulder at him and saw the slight change in his face. "Really? I remember a few things and I'm pretty sure I didn't dream up that I wanted a daughter." Lex moved his hands up and gripped around Chloe arms and turned her in his direction. Chloe stared up at Lex frozen in his piercing eyes. "We discussed this; I didn't want that Luthor name attached to any child ever again."

Chloe tried to recover, "Just because it could have been a boy, didn't mean the Luthor name was a death sentence." She stopped and thought about her rationale knowing the two Luthors that she did. Ok, maybe it was a death sentence, but she wouldn't tell him that.

Lex stared at her and shook his head. Using her shoulders, he pressed his body up and shuffled to the door. Looking back over his shoulder at Chloe still sitting in the middle of the floor, he sighed, "I just wish someone in my life would tell me the goddamn truth." Lex stood in the doorway as Chloe could see his body start to tense. Raising his voice, Lex beat on the doorframe and caused Chloe to jump back. "I mean, you sneaking around on me, talking to my father behind my back, and pretending to give a shit when we tried to make love last night. You're like a totally different person!"

Chloe stood up and moved towards him in an effort, however impossible, to calm him. "Lex, it's been hard, "

Lex threw her hand back in her face as he turned down the hall. "No, don't give me that! You are as much at fault here as anyone here. I realized something – you were so happy when you came into my office. And that was all a ploy to pull my thoughts away from the story you were writing about some scheme you thought I was involved in."

Chloe eyed him and nodded her head. Furious at a discussion she had no idea why, but his accusations hurt. "Scheme? Lex, your family is full of crack pot schemes and under the table dealings. You think I would actually stoop to your fucking level and pretend to be pregnant to make you drop everything and be a Mr. freaking Mom? You are so full of youself!"

"I thought giving up my goddamn job for you and the baby and letting … dad… have what he wanted all along would make you happy, but I see nothing changes." Lex balanced between the doorframe and squeezed his forehead in frustration.

"Nothing changes? I spent DAYS by your side in that hospital room. I didn't have to do any of this for you. I could have just left you there. You had turned into someone I didn't know. God knows our relationship wasn't exactly perfect, even pleasant at the time," Chloe screamed back at the man hanging on the doorframe. The words were vague but explained everything she felt. She didn't have to be there; she could have easily stayed out of it and just signed papers as his wife to commit him. This was the Lex her best friend had spoken about, except for the uncharacteristic yelling. Lex was normally a quiet anger, but she could tell his hidden emotions from the last few days finally couldn't be withheld anymore. A fear finally fell onto her as his face grew more drawn and his knuckles were white from gripping the doorframe so hard in anger.

The master bedroom slammed and Chloe jumped back. She heard something hit a couple of walls and then another door, the bathroom she suspected, slam. She went downstairs and sat on the couch and stared at wall. It would be a long rest of the week. Trying to regain her calm, she flipped through the papers in her bag absentmindedly and then threw them across the room. Throwing up her arms, she quietly screamed and sent the fake photo on the end table flying across the room.

Lex was furious. His heart raced and his body trembled as he grabbed for the bathroom cabinet and sat down on the toilet seat to steady himself. Ripping the top from the pen, he jabbed the pen in his leg and waited for his nerves to settle back into place. Leaning his head against the wall, he took several deep breaths and threw the pen in the garbage. Teetering carefully out to the bedroom, he picked up the wedding photo and placed it back on the dresser.

He stared at the picture and wondered where he had gone wrong. She didn't like his father; she was happy when Lex finally decided he was better off without him. But now things were so confused. She used to leave the room completely, leaving Lex to tend to the pieces, not take his father on herself. It was strange. Getting up, he carefully pulled himself over to his dresser and opened the top shelf. Looking through his meaningless cufflinks and random watches that seemed out of place, yet neatly in place, he lifted a small lid of an unfamiliar decorative box and gasped.

Lifting the picture out of the box, he sat down on the edge of the bed and stared at the picture of the brunette he couldn't remember. He flipped the picture, looking for a date, and then tried desperately to remember her name. The position was compromising to say the least. Letting the picture drop to the floor, Lex rubbed his tired, teary eyes and whispered, "No."


	10. Pieces

Pieces – Chapter 10

Chloe continued reading through the materials in her bag and sat back against the couch. She had analyzed the films to death and couldn't get anywhere on the film alone. She glanced back up the stairs and sighed. They were in the middle of a fight as far as he was concerned. Looking at the address on one of the folders, she slid her folders of information back into her bag and picked up her wallet. Walking out the front door, she looked around one more time and shut the door behind her.

Lex looked out the window as the car sped out of the driveway and leaned against the window. She hadn't come up to get any clothes from the room, so she couldn't go far. He wondered what possibly could have caused them to stray so far. Lex shuffled back over and picked up the picture of the woman he was in bed with. She wasn't anyone else that he could remember. The background was completely unfamiliar to him. Dark panels and a fire; it wasn't him. He threw the drawer open and continued through the organized mess finding nothing. Sitting on the bed again, he stared at the picture. Sifting through the mess now scattered on the bed, he pulled out a lighter. Leaning over the bathroom sink, he set the picture on fire and watched as the strange image turned to ash.

Chloe entered one of buildings at a Metropolis address listed on the information she found on the computer drive. Hooking up the small machine to her palm, she punched a couple of buttons and waited for the lock to click. She silently thanked the cheap locksmith friend and realtor friends for the assistance. Pushing the door open, she flipped on a small flashlight and carefully looked around. There were no guards, no lights, no sirens. The building wasn't even marked anymore as a Luthorcorp facility or warehouse. She flipped on a light and noticed the power had also been cut. Lionel was evidently very interested in taking the projects off the Luthorcorp payroll or at least out of the public eye. She had to admit, Lex had become better at hiding projects in his recent years, but Chloe was fairly certain that Lionel was just moving the projects under his protective custody to do what he wanted with later.

Walking through a small door, she flashed a light across a set of refrigerators. Opening one, she peered at the tiny labels on each of the vials and gasped. Lana Lang, Chloe Sullivan, Miora Sullivan, Gabe Sullivan, Julian Luthor, and others. He had collected blood from virtually every person she knew or was acquainted with. The empty vial at the end frightened her. It was empty. Clark Kent. She grabbed the tray of vials and carefully placed them all in her bag. Flipping open the rest of the refrigerators, she noticed the same results of many of Smallville's meteor infected. Shutting the doors, she turned around into a suit.

"Shit!" she yelped as she dropped her light on the ground as an overhead light came on.

"I was wondering when you were going to do some work for me." Lionel looked over several folders that had been left on the table just as they were before.

"Me? I'm sure you have plenty of people that could do this kind of work for you. And you didn't have to scare me. Why didn't an alarm go off?"

"It did, just not here. I was called about your presence. Clark is on his way." Lionel shoved his hands in long coat pockets and leaned against the wall on the opposite side of the lab. "Here's something interesting I found when changing the security on this place." He handed a folder to Chloe and let her look over the few pages in it. "The only retinal scan for the entry door to this lab, which has one way glass all around, is Lex's. This was his personal lab."

Chloe whipped around and stared at Lionel. "I knew he was in business but this?" Chloe leaned against the table of test tubes and gadgets she didn't understand. She flipped through the different folders still sitting out. They were no one she knew personally, just names of meteor infected that had passed her desk years ago, apparently still of interest to the villain that would be her unreal husband. The chemical bond diagrams that wrapped for pages neatly printed and assembled together along with notes in his handwriting of common bonds adorned pages of each folder.

Chloe knelt down and pulled on the drawer on the edge of the cabinet and shook the handle insistently. Looking back at Lionel, he continued just to watch her silently as if just making sure she didn't get into something without his permission. She maneuvered around the test tubes and pulled out a small file.

"No, let me." Lionel signaled for Chloe to get out of the way. Leaning over, he felt under the drawer until she heard something click and watched the drawer slide open.

Looking at Lionel, he nodded, "File cabinets are the cheapest way of securing objects. Remember that." Standing back, Lionel settled himself into the desk seat as Chloe pulled out the cabinet and examined the rest of the files filed alphabetically. Pulling the first folder, she began flipping. Same information as the others, but for the small letter in the corner of the tags. "N," simply written next to the name. Dropping the folder, she went to the S section and pulled the folder with her name on it. "M." Her mother's, "M," her father's, "N."

"He was cataloging."

Chloe turned to Lionel and held the folders of her and parents up. "There has to be hundreds of these."

"Actually," Lionel walked over and flipped on another light and pointed at a wall. "There a few more than that." Chloe stared at the wall of files and refrigerators. Walking over, she pulled on another drawer that easily clicked open. The files went on forever.

"Who are all these people? They can't all be meteor infected?"

"No, from what I gathered is that the generous donation to the hospital the last three years in both Smallville and Metropolis has been paying for more than just the new wings being built."

Chloe slammed the drawer on the wall and stared back at Lionel. "He's been collecting for years. You didn't know any of this?" Chloe was skeptical at best.

"I was informed of the warehouse from an informant at one of Lex's other labs. He felt no need to keep secrets since his pay was generously increased over Lex's paycheck, which he hadn't received in weeks." Lionel flipped the light over the cabinets off again as Clark arrived. Backing against the edge of the cabinet, he placed a small magnetic object against it.

"Clark," Chloe sighed as she hugged him lightly. "Have you seen this?"

Clark looked around and scanned the room. "I guess Lex took know thy enemy to a new level. Anything that leads us to the next step of his plans? I heard of the clones that he was planning from Lionel." Chloe nodded and glanced over her shoulder while pulling a small vial carefully from her bag. Turning back to Lionel, he asked, "Have you found the location of the clones?"

Chloe glared at Lionel and smirked at Clark. "I'm sure he does. Maybe someday he'll share that information. Oh, by the way, here's a little present." Clark stared at the empty vial and shook his head. "Oh, and this one." Clark took the other vial halfway filled and stared at the label. Lex hadn't missed a beat. Martha Kent.

Lionel moved closer to the door and pulled another identical small object out of his pocket and slid it under the desk next to the door. "I think we have seen enough here, don't you think?" Lionel snapped the two out of their deep thoughts. "This lab has no value anymore." The three silently agreed.

"What can be done though?" Lionel tugged on Chloe's bag and removed the vials from her bag. "Hey!"

"Patience." Lionel took the vials and walked back to the two. "Is there anything you want from here besides those?" Chloe glanced at Lionel and flipped on the light to the rest of the file cabinets and retrieved all the files of friends and family. She stuffed the paper files into her bag and scanned the rest of the room. Clark pulled the files on him and his family.

Chloe and Clark stood in the doorway of the laboratory set in the middle of the otherwise empty building. They watched Lionel walk toward the door and stop before pushing the door open. "Clark?"

Clark glanced around once more and nodded, "Chloe's there nothing else here. I say we just go and find out what Lionel is really up to."

"I don't trust him. He's been yanking on my chain and changing the rules this whole time. You know that." Chloe held her files in her bag even closer to her body as Lionel closed the door behind and left the two standing in the building. "He's as dangerous as his son. How do you know that he's not going to just take up the cause."

Clark's head perked up as he listened and covered Chloe's mouth as she continued to prattle on. Hearing a car door slam and another car start, he peered through the metal outer building and saw her car was moving too. "He just stole your car."

"It's his car anyway, the point is…." Clark covered her mouth again. Listening, he heard a countdown start. Clutching the folders under his arm, he grabbed Chloe and whisked her out of the building. Sitting her down next to the cars hundreds of yards from the buildings, Chloe stared at Lionel as he emerged from the limo. "You were going to blow us up? Haven't you got Clark figured out by now?"

"I had no intention of doing so. The countdown was simply to warn you to get out of the building and I was kind enough to move your vehicle." Lionel handed her keys back to her and picked up his phone. "Clear." Looking back at the two, he smiled. "Personally, I need this space for a new set of apartments Luthorcorp is building unless…"

Just then, the explosion sent Chloe hugging the ground and pushed Lionel against the side of the car as Clark fell lightly over Chloe's body. Raising her head, she watched as the main explosion led to other smaller explosions. Standing up, she dusted herself off as she could feel the heat coming off the fire that now raged in one central location. Lionel handed her and Clark a glass of champagne.

"Cheers." Chloe and Clark glanced at each other.

"What the hell?" Chloe asked.

"This is supposed to be the undoing of my son. This is a happy occasion. And you were concerned that I would just waltz in take over his projects. This is all to be destroyed and hopefully erased permanently from the earth. Three other warehouses are being demolished, leveled for rebuilding as we speak." Lionel handed Chloe and Clark the plans.

"What others? The cloning lab?" Clark questioned as Chloe fell silent pondering larger life altering questions.

"No, the other 33.1 facilities that were listed in the facility in Billings. The cloning lab is currently under the highest security known to the planet. I still want to know what was the intention of the lab." Lionel cracked a shallow smile at Chloe as she shivered, thinking about her own fate.

"But what if Lex's memory comes back? You keep yanking his dreams out from under him like telling him about the lack of a pregnancy, and you expect for him to just sink further into his little wonderworld?" Chloe questioned Lionel wondering what really would happen. No one had assured them that Lex would never come out of his state. She still worried every day that she would wake up next to a person she didn't fall asleep with, or better yet never wake up if he killed her first.

"Let me deal with that when it occurs." Lionel looked at his watch. "Now, shouldn't you be getting back to your husband?" Chloe cringed and twisted her head with the mention of his existence. Clark squeezed her and kissed the top of her head.

"We're in the middle of an argument – he won't care." Lionel nodded and got into the limo. Lowering the window, he quickly waved and rolled the window up, leaving the two standing in front of her car as the flames died in the distance. Clark looked over his shoulder and shook his head.

"Luthorcorp to the rescue. Already to clean up the mess. Come on – let's get out of here." Clark and Chloe got in the car and drove off.

************

Lex sat on the floor in the middle of his office and stared at the piles of papers that surrounded him. He had distinctly remembered that there had to be a safe in the room, but he couldn't remember how to get to it. Looking at the clock, he realized he had spent hours going through pages upon pages of classic books and file folders to find only two other pictures of the same woman, both curiously used like bookmarks. They looked happy but in unfamiliar places. The lights in the background of the casual picture looked like nothing he remembered being at. The only thing he could make out was the strange Egyptian markings and pink lights. Laying the pictures down, he continued through the files in the desk. Many included items he couldn't remember the reason they were there. Chloe must have reorganized again.

Pulling the personal file out, he flipped the file open and scattered birth certificates, marriage license, and passport information around. He threw the folder back in the file. Pulling the one labeled letters out, he leaned against the wall and held the top one up to smell. The perfume had since faded from it, but the words were still wonderful, even if it was an simple.

Hey! I got your flowers today. Actually the rest of the women got

you flowers and I got the card. I'd love dinner tonight, but I get to

choose the restaurant this time. And pay. Love you! Chlo

Lex smiled placed the letter back in the folder. Eyeing the rest of the folder, he pulled a distinctly pink colored paper out and stared at the strange handwriting. Lex's breathing hitched as he read the overly curly script.

Thanks for stopping by yesterday afternoon. I was really stressing about

the new layout of the place. I missed you something terrible while you

were in Paris. I wished we could have gone together, but I understand

work calls. Just don't forget that there's more than locking yourself in

your office or going home to a lonely house. Kisses. L

Lex beat his head against the wall and squeezed his eyes together. The confusion that came over him gave him an incredible headache that he couldn't shake. Crumpling the paper up, he crumpled another white sheet over it and threw it away. He leaned against the wall and closed his eyes, rubbing his forehead. He cheated on Chloe. It was beyond reason; he couldn't remember any instance that he had ever met another woman after Chloe and he had gone out. Biting his lip, he stared at the picture of him with the woman and realized the reason for Chloe's attitude ran much deeper than his accident. He now wondered to himself how many other pieces of his life were lost in his mind's abyss. He shoved the file back in the drawer and walked into the living room. He stared at the white album with their wedding photo on the front and covered his mouth as a tar tried to escape his eye.

Flipping though the album sitting on the coffee table, he started noticing things were out of place. Wiping his eyes and squinting, he stared at the small crease on his wife's neck in the picture. Her necklace he gave her at the engagement party was missing. He continued flipping and examined every picture with even more increased scrutiny. Running his hand along the small creases and dark shadows, he shook his head. Places that distinctly should have been lighter on her body with the way the sunlight hit her in the church that day were darkened, smudged it seemed. Ripping the picture out of the album, he went into the game room and looked for the magnifying glass in Chloe's small desk.

He walked back down the hall and rested on the bottom step of the stairs. He stared at her satchel for work and flipped it over. He scattered the random objects over the floor looking for her glass. She kept it around for research, for snooping. If nothing else, he had learned tricks from watch her work. He prided himself on learning her style of research and finding ways to one up her all along the way. Their first year of marriage it had been almost a game. She would find a tidbit about a project and he would work tirelessly to hide the details. Eventually, she would find out it was ruse. He nodded realizing that irate Chloe was always a turn on for him, unfortunately not today. Picking up the contents, he placed each random object back in her bag stopping at the phone. He opened it up and noticed two text messages. One from the Daily Planet and one from his father.

Clicking through the notice from work, he zeroed on his father's email. 'You might be careful of where you stick your nose.' The time stamp was from just an hour or so ago. Lex flipped the phone closed and shoved it back in her bag. Pulling the pictures out of his pockets, He ran his thumb along the strange darker shadow down to her lower back as he stared at the length of the woman's hair in the other picture he had found.

His eyes shifted from one picture to the other. Glancing up, he heard the door click and looked up to see Chloe's eyes lock on his. Chloe eyed the purse with half of the contents still on the floor. Dropping her other bag, she shoved the rest of her contents back in her purse and glanced over at the pictures.

"What are these?" She asked as she ripped the pictures of the strange woman out of his hands and bit her lip, hiding her two-parted anguish, before turning on Lex. Chloe had taken the one of two in the Talon years ago. Still, she peered at the pictures and back at his face. This could play out interestingly, she thought. She shook the photos in front of the man still sitting silently on the step, "Who the hell is this?"

Lex watched Chloe's eyes turn accusing and cold. Nodding his head, he whispered, "I…"


	11. Dazed and Confused

Chapter 11 – Dazed and Confused

Leaning over closer to him, Chloe repeated the question again, "Who is this?" Standing over him, her breathing became more focused as she waited for Lex to come up with something of an answer.

Lex swallowed and waited to see if the yelling would commence. He grabbed the pictures out of her hand and ripped them in half twice. "I don't know."

"Did you cheat on me?"

Lex peered up at her and chewed his bottom lip in confusion. Getting up, he pushed lightly past Chloe and sat down on the couch, wedding album in hand. Turning around, he could see that she had not moved since she walked in. "If I did," his voice cracked as he laid the pieces of the picture down on the coffee table, "then I am truly sorry."

Chloe edged her way into the living room, never taking her eyes off the man. "You can't possibly think I would buy that crap from you. You were always a ladies man even when we were firmly attached. Who is she?" Chloe stood with her hands on her hips, pushing by the large lounge chair to see exactly Lex's reaction.

Lex sat rubbing his head and pinching his temples as his headache worsened over the obvious frustration of not knowing. Choking between words, he stared at Chloe and wished he knew the right words to make the situation go away. "I don't know," he raised his voice. "I have no idea. If I did, don't you think I would tell you about it now?! Now, after everything we have been through everything I've been through. I mean it's not like that woman is here right now. You are."

"Yes, I am. I have been through it all. You ass. You accused me of subterfuge with your father and running around with Clark Kent all the while you have your little fling tucked away in a drawer somewhere. Where did you find them? You finally had a stroke of luck and came to?" Chloe didn't change her stance but simply leaned slightly forward as she wondered how far Lex was going to take their little argument. She had hoped that they both had this out of their system.

Lex peered up at her and threw the album on the floor along with the wedding picture he had removed. "I was looking for something and I found them. I didn't know they were there. There's ashes left of one in the bathroom upstairs. I don't remember her! God!" He got up and teetered unsure of his footing from the developing headache. Turning to Chloe, he picked up the scraps of pictures and shoved them in her hand. "Here, do what you fucking want with them. I don't remember anything – I don't even recall half of these damn photos at the wedding." Chloe's body shook as Lex grabbed her hand so hard and crammed the pieces in her palm before stumbling to the kitchen.

"Lex, calm down," Chloe stated quietly and assuredly. She had seen him get worked up already once today and didn't want to cause more headaches.

Lex leaned in the doorway of the kitchen and squeezed his fists together before throwing his hands up in the air. Chloe could see the intense pain on his face in his clenched jaw and his watery eyes. "Me calm down? Are you fucking kidding me? You come in here on your high and mighty tirade and accuse me of a relationship I don't even remember." He took a breath and slapped his already aching forehead. "I was screwing another woman in a picture that I don't remember taking, remember posing for, and honestly can't remember doctoring. You don't get it – I DON'T REMEMEBER ANY OF THIS GODDAMN PLACE!"

Chloe followed him as he teetered around the kitchen. Leaning against the kitchen counter, she watched as the man that destroyed her family and created more than one of her tried to find the words to explain away the photos or his situation. She took the pile of ripped photos and dumped them in the garbage before following him heading back into the living room. He picked up their wedding album and flipped to the page he had taken the photo from. Placing the photo back into the sleeve, he stared at the front of the book and shook his head. "Lex," she whispered.

Lex sat and traced his fingers over the pictures and pleaded, "I just wish, I could remember us. It's like there's these thoughts that come and go that don't match up. Like a trip to Paris you took on my jet and saw some museum, but you never went to Paris." He grabbed his head and put it between his knees. "Dammit," Lex yelled as he grabbed the back of his head and gritted his teeth in agony. The headache was just getting exponentially worse by the moment.

Chloe watched as his worry about them turn into excruciating pain. She stared at his increased bait for breath as he grabbed his head and moaned louder with each few seconds that passed. Getting up, Lex pushed her onto the couch and out of his way as he made his way, stumbling down the hall. Chloe stayed on the couch and put the fake album on the table. She rolled her eyes and silently cursed the eldest Luthor and wondered exactly how much cash she should ask for in return for all this. Hearing a large thud and something break, she jumped in the couch and found Lex laying on the floor.

Running to the kitchen, she wet a cup towel, grabbed a bottle of water, and his painkillers. She turned him over, brushing the pieces of the vase out of the way. She placed the cold towel on his head and tapped him on the cheek several times, silently thinking if she could get away with just slugging him a few times for sport. Leaning over him, she propped his feet up with a couch pillow and continued to shake him slightly.

Hearing a slight moan come from him, she stopped slapping him. "Lex? Open your damn eyes."

His eyes looked as if they rolled into the back of his head as he opened them slightly. Feeling his way to her leg, he ran his hand along the floor and looked up at Chloe questioningly, "Why am I on the floor?"

"You passed out," Chloe quietly stated while rerolling the washcloth. "You think you can sit up?" Watching him nod his head, she helped him restabilize himself and lean against the wall. She supported most of his weight over to the couch.

Laying his head back against the pillows and propping his feet up on the table, he ran his fingers through Chloe's hair, "You had a perfect opportunity to leave. And every right."

"Just lay still." Chloe got up just as Lex caught her hand.

"Why are you still here?"

Chloe felt the conflicted emotions that she had for the man in front her. The man from a few months ago deserved to be left with a slamming door to drown in his own spit. Biting her lip, she looked to the side, glancing at her bag knowing the information that she had from his lab. She didn't want that man to return. The monster deserved to die, but no one in his condition deserved that. Staring at the front of a wedding album that the only real part of the front picture was the fake smiles they both put on for the cameras the day of that true hellish wedding, she sighed. She looked back at Lex's hand in hers. "Because through all of this, affairs, family, shady deals, we fell in love once," Chloe choked out in quiet desperation. Ok, she thought, that was stretching the truth, but what girl never had a secretive, and sometimes not secretive, crush on the billionaire. Never vocal about it, but teen wanderlust was always a powerful things, and not just for Superhumans.

Chloe let his hand fall from hers as she went into the kitchen and took a deep breath. She silently talked her through the conflicted feelings while finding his necessities. Lex slowly leaned back into the couch, groaning and breathing heavily as the stiffness in his neck seemed to increase with every movement. Returning to the room, Chloe handed him the bottle of water and the painkiller. "No, just Excedrin. Those things just wipe me out."

"You've had a long day," Chloe said, thinking she still had a long day to go. "You need your rest."

Lex swatted her hand away and rolled his head to meet her eyes, "Just give me the damn towel and get what I asked for please." Chloe's mouth halfway dropped at the Luthoresque request. She huffed before getting up and passing him on the way to the kitchen. She felt his hand tug at hers, and she turned around. "Chloe, I didn't mean the way it sounded. Please," Lex quietly asked as she pulled from his grip.

Coming back, she handed him what he asked for and sat in silence on the couch as he closed his eyes and concentrated on his breathing. Chloe watched his chest rise and fall slower as if he had fallen asleep. She picked up the album off the table and flipped through the pictures that Lex was looking at. He seemed much more sentimental than before, part of her wished he wouldn't lose that part of himself.

"I like the one of us with your dad. He was so worried I would do you wrong," Lex whispered as he turned his head and looked at Chloe leaning back in the couch next to him. Turning away, he continued, "I guess now I have." Rubbing the towel on his head, he threw it on the coffee table and looked over at the picture of the two cutting the cake at the reception. "I'll have my things out as soon as I get better. I'm really sorry." Grabbing his head in one hand, he lightly kissed her shoulder and walked out of the living room. She watched him slowly ascend the stairs, closing her eyes.

"Lex," she turned on the couch and looked at him halfway up the stairs. "Come back here and talk to me. First, you not remembering is something I should understand and not attack, and second, where the hell would you go in your condition?"

Lex stood in the middle of the stairs and stared at her. She was seriously giving him another chance. Lex moved slowly down the stairs, careful not to look down with the headache he still had. Situating himself in the same cushion he was just in, he leaned back and stared at Chloe's shoulder as she flipped through the wedding album.

It was a true sign of a professional talent. Every picture was perfectly paired as if Lionel had taken Lex's original photos from the album and spent hours in a photoshop laboratory. Staring at the picture of her, Lex, and Gabe, she felt a small fire towards Lionel building in her. She eyed another picture from her computer and rolled his eyes; he tapped her computers. She was going to wipe them clean first chance she got and buy a new one. "This is a nice one. Tell me about our honeymoon again." Chloe was fishing.

Lex placed the book on the table and turned his head slightly to at last try to meet Chloe's gaze. She seemed so far away. Chloe watched Lex try to focus as she wondered if she had just given up her only chance to escape. After the outburst he had, there was still a Luthor tendency in there. She nervously watched as his fingers ran against hers as a way to call a truce for the evening. Slightly closing her eyes, she wavered against her emotion of hatred toward the man. He didn't know the difference; she hoped he never would. She broke a half smile and took his hand in hers. "I'm sorry," he repeated.

Chloe leaned over and saw his eyes glaze over with tears. Pulling into him, she swallowed her fears again from what she had seen that afternoon. Trying to convince herself, she was with someone else, she moved toward him and wrapped her arm in his. "I have an idea. We need dinner. I'll order us a pizza and then we'll do some reminiscing. I think that may be a really good idea."

Lex leaned back to lock eyes with her and smiled. "No hamburger." Chloe nodded and headed into the kitchen. Lex grabbed his head and leaned forward to see her busy. He reached for the album again and looked over all the pictures and noticed there were no other honeymoon pictures in the album except for her fishing and him smiling from a balcony somewhere in the country. He remembered the trip, just not the photos. Were they somewhere else? He leaned back against the couch and squeezed his eyes shut trying to picture the trip. Images flashed by that were strange and jumbled.

"Lex?" Chloe sat down on the couch and gently squeezed his shoulder. Moving the album back to the table, she watched his constant rolling of his neck and wondered if he was ok. He used to do that in the months that his father had been drugging him. Lionel. She took the pill jar from the table and shoved it into her pocket. She would have them looked at carefully as well as the shots Lex was giving himself. Lex was a monster in his right, but Lionel had no right to control him if he was.

She was startled out of her thoughts feeling Lex's hand slip across her thigh as he slumped in the couch. She looked at the bottle that she had retrieved. It was Excedrin, PM that was. Lifting his face up slightly, she moved down the couch and placed a pillow underneath his head. Walking up the stairs, she watched him adjust in the couch.

Chloe pushed the door of the bedroom open and gasped at the mess strewn about the bed, including all of his underwear drawer. A drawer hung open slightly that she opened and saw that most of its contents were randomly thrown into place. Damn Lionel, why do you continue to fuck with his head she thought to herself. Closing the drawer, she shoved his underwear back in the other drawer and rinsed the ashes of the other photo down the sink.

His curiosity was getting more similar to the old days. She walked back down the stairs and strolled into the office to see books ripped from shelves and files all over the desk. Placing the files back in some semblance of order, she noticed all the minute little plants of files on car accidents, insurance claims, doctors visits. She wondered if this was Lionel's little way of covering his ass or if Lex really lived like this in other rooms of the mansion that no one but Lana ever saw.

Chloe's concentration broke at the sound of the doorbell. She threw the last few books she could on the shelves in no particular order. Turning the corner, she watched Lex lean against the hallway wall and hand the driver money. Looking back down the hall, Lex closed the door and handed Chloe the pizza. "I nodded off."

"Yes, you did, but you shouldn't be up. But, if you're up for it, let's eat. It's well after time to." Chloe took the box to the kitchen and pulled plates off the shelf. "You go and sit down."

Lex glanced in her direction as he entered the kitchen and turned on his heel and slowly paced back into the living room. Opening the closet, he pushed the coats aside and stared. "Hey, where are the tray tables?" he called across the house.

Chloe stopped and set down the plate slowly. She had no answer; she wouldn't have even pictured the two of them ever eating on tray table to begin with. She picked up the plates and headed into the living room. "I don't know."

"But they're always in this closet on the right side, next to the," he faded as his head, which still hurt, disappeared again.

"Get over here and don't worry about them," Chloe begged hoping that Lex would just let the matter drop. She sat the two plates down and went back for drinks.

Lex sat down on the couch and picked up a plate and stared at her. "Things just all seem out of place. I wonder sometimes if you just up and moved when I was out for those days." Chloe smirked at him and continued eating.

The two flipped pages in the album as Lex laughed at how pissed his father had been during the whole ceremony. The wedding was not of his taste, and the reception was worse. Lex just laughed mentioning the impromptu roast that he had given his dad thanking him for teaching him all the things he shouldn't do as a husband. Chloe let out a hhmph in agreement.

As the night wore on, Chloe found herself wrapped in his arm and leaning into his shoulder as Lex continued to speak. The honeymoon Lex so aptly put was all Chloe. She had demanded that they got somewhere cultured and full of mystique. He had planned Paris, but Chloe told him that it had been overdone. The beach was out because it wouldn't expand her mind, and Lex refused to try anything that involved tropical hiking or adventure. Chloe seemed intrigued that she actually had chosen Russia for the trip, but as Lex talked, the trip sounded more and more like something she wished she had actually been there for.

Pulling her up into crook of his shoulder, Chloe slunk further back into the cushions next to Lex as he ran his fingers along her thigh. "I remember when I was first applying four the visas to travel the business partners I got them through were hesitant first because you were a journalist. One asked me what in the world was I doing marrying the enemy." Chloe smirked slightly at the statement and found herself loosening her grip of her own hands. "We arrived at the apartment and you actually complained that it was small – you," Lex stopped and sat her up and stared at her. Chloe hunched her shoulders cluelessly wondering if the motioned passed for innocent.

"Anyway, the first night there we went to Café Pushkin. I thought I was going to have to strap your mouth shut from the moment we hit the door. The amount of drool that fell from your mouth in the library room caused the steward to follow you around with a rag." Lex stopped and intertwined his fingers with Chloe's. Taking a small hitched breath, she mentally uncurled her stiff body at the small touch. "You spent more time staring at the names on all the books on the walls, which were still in Russian mind you, than looking at the menu." Lex stopped and laughed. "And then you tried it and I thought we were going to have to apologize to the waiter. After getting you coffee and a decent dessert that you would eat, you wouldn't let the driver go back to the apartment until we found a McDonalds."

Lex continued his contrived version of their trip through Moscow, including stops in the between to make fun of Chloe's reactions as he remembered them. The two had found a way to crush what normally would be done in a matter of weeks in one week. They had been all the tourist traps, Lenin's tomb, the Kremlin, the Moscow Zoo, St Basil's Cathedral, and the odd tour to the cemetery. "I still don't get the reasoning for the cemetery trip. Chasing dead authors in their resting place makes me wonder. Nikolai Gogol? There are better, honey."

He continued relaying the honeymoon in vivid detail except for some places they has stopped to eat and buy knick knacks that have since been put in the attic, or so he guessed. "I have to tell you though, I had never seen you smile so big as when I took the blindfold off you and let you see exactly which Bolshoi I had dragged you too." He stopped and smirked at her, nodding his head. "You still didn't trust me to not drag you to something overly cultured. I knew you hated the ballet and opera. You had slept through the first two we had ever gone to. Still, those acrobats were impressive."

Chloe looked at him and thought a minute. He took me to a circus, for real. Lex Luthor in his little world took me to a circus for our last evening on our honeymoon. Looking up in his eyes, she watched his expression as it continued to soften. She felt his hand from his arm around her neck rub up and down her arm. "That was a nice trip. We should really try to get away again." She stopped and realized that she had been caught up in the fantasy as much as his brain was. Trying to recover, she squeezed his hand, "I mean as soon as you're well and we have money." Smiling back over his direction, he had moved in closer and she could feel his breath on her shoulder.

"Are we done fighting," he whispered, kissing her shoulder.

"It won't make the problems go away," she commented blandly. She glanced down at her shoulder where he continued to add soft kisses of forgiveness. "Lex."

"I love you Chloe. And if there was another, I'm hoping I never remember." Lex pulled her into him and kissed her. Feeling resistance from her, Lex let his arm around her shoulder drop, hoping she wouldn't leave. Bringing his hand up to her, he ran his hand through her hair as he felt her stop resisting.

Chloe's mind was torn. He was letting her go; she could just back up and walk way. Instead, she found herself leaning in. She closed her eyes and wrapped her hand around his neck as she choked her thoughts of leaving down. Deepening the kiss, she felt tears well up as she felt her tongue slide past his. Pulling out of the kiss after many long moments, she noticed them both out of breath.

"Chloe, what's wrong?" Lex asked as he wiped a tear off her face.

"Tell me again – after everything that has happened in the last few weeks – say it again." Chloe grabbed his hands and turned on the couch toward him, looking him dead in the eye.

Lex shook his head somewhat confused. "I love you, more than anything in the world." Chloe stared at his reaction and watched his emotion change to pleading as he ran his thumb over the top of her hand.

Leaning over, she whispered, "I love you Lex." She started to shiver as she bit her lip and whispered again, "Please don't ever forget this moment, ever." Lex pulled her face back away from his and stared at her. She looked scared and happy at the same time.


	12. What's Not to Love

What's Not to Love – Chapter 12

A month passed without any word from Lionel or Clark. Actually, no one had called except for the home health nurse a couple of times to check on Lex's progress. Chloe had gone back to work a few days and left Lex alone at the house. She was pretty sure that Lionel was still keeping close tabs on them and knew her whereabouts; she hoped he didn't mess with Lex.

The life at home seemed to fall back into a normal place also, at least what she pictured for a normal married couple. The pictures were never mentioned again as with the baby that never was. Two doors in the house were never opened, the baby room and the playroom. She now seemed to find Lex in his pseudo old stomping grounds, playing the piano or playing pool, but never without a drink in his hand, pomegranate juice seemed to be his new choice. Good for him, she thought. Drink something that'll keep your brain working.

She thought about the last couple of weeks when she had been going into work. There was always a perfectly ordered lunch delivered at exactly noon, complete with small notes in the top of the containers. Miss you, call me, come home braless seemed to be his favorites. She always shook her head and blushed at the last one. She would return home to dinner made for them. Lex was an outstanding cook and continued to try to teach her. She always gave up and convinced him he should just continue something that clearly was his calling more than hers. She didn't suspect he acted remotely like this in his true reality; no woman would have left him otherwise.

She worried though; her small shell she had built around her was slowly breaking under the intensity of Lex's attention to her. As his condition improved, she noticed more and more small things he would do for her. This was definitely not the Lex that would leave a pair of earrings for his one night stands. She had fallen in deep; she even had given into him and tried sex again. Chloe remembered him walking off to the bathroom after the night she had given in finally to try again. She was stunned to the point of immobilization. She had never imagined that he was that good. Since that night, the two never slept apart again.

However, nightly she had a private talk with herself trying to convince herself that when he uttered the word 'Lana' for the first time to run like the wind. Not that it would help; she would be dead before Clark could find her.

She constantly worried about the day. She wondered which day she would come home from the Daily Planet, and he would be flipping through the wedding album amusingly, dressed in the trademark black slacks, purple shirt, and black coat, waiting to crush her and his father like a bug. She trembled at the thought. Now, she stared at the row of clothes in her closet and tried to comprehend what to wear today and exactly how to not to completely fall in love.

"How about you go naked today? That'll cause the newsroom to stop and take notice," he whispered as he ran his arms around her and kissed her on the neck. She closed her eyes and breathed in, taking in his scent. He even smelled good in the morning.

"Funny, but I don't know about that getting me a leg up into the main bullpen," she giggled and turned in his arms to face him. She had almost resigned herself to her feelings since the day she begged him not to forget he loved her. There had been no other strange instances of things going awry. It was almost too comfortable, but she didn't mind. Her other obstacle had been avoided as well, including a simple Dear John to Jimmy when he came back. He was still in the building, but he had simply moved on, horny little bastard.

Looking up at his face, it was so calm, almost with lines from his quiet happy smirk becoming permanent. "Leg up? Those are the secret words for the day," Lex smirked before scooping her up in his arms and tossing her on the bed. Chloe screamed while laughing as she hit the pillow covered bed. She lied still as her eyes got bigger and focused over Lex's new physique. Lex had purchased some total gym contraption and had been working out. Straddling her legs, she watched his t-shirt fly over his head.

"I'm going to be late," Chloe tried to plead her case.

"So," Lex whispered as his face disappeared into her hair, "stay later to make up." Chloe stopped and processed the strange statement and wondered what he had cooked up. Trying to make sense of the odd statement, she tried to focus as lips continued to nibble down her neck and shoulder.

"Lex," she released breathlessly, "I have…to…wow…" Lex sat up and looked at her. Nodding his head, he slid his hands up her silk gown, careful to graze his thumb along her clit on the way up. Lifting her shoulders, she let the gown slide over her easily to reveal her PMS enlarged breasts.

"I love this week," he smiled as he carefully encircled her darkened nipples. Scooting down, he leaned over and looked up at her. "I know, be gentle." Chloe laid her head back and closed her eyes as he continued to trace circles around her nipples and then carefully cupped her enlarged breasts in his hands. Taking one in hand, he reached with the other hand and took her hand as her breathing started to become shallower. He could feel her legs trying to wriggle free from under his. Lowering himself on her chest, he gently bit at her nipple before sucking her delicately. She liked when he made the breast pop from the suction he could give her. He felt her hips arch as he traded to the other breast, continuing holding her in place.

"Oh…Lex…my turn," she fought to make words. She had experienced her first blowjob with him a couple of nights before when he was feeling too weak to lead. She had others, but his guidance of her motions was frightening at the same time invigorating. It was enthralling to not just hear someone say whatever you want. Picturing his liquid hitting the back of her throat, she grabbed his arm and tried again, "really, let's trade."

Lex pulled up from her breast and smiled at her. "I'm feeling good this morning; let me give this to you," he leaned over and kissed both breasts and traced kisses down her center, stopping momentarily at the top of her underwear line. Tracing his finger along the small edge of the lacy boy shorts, he watched carefully his movements as her legs increasingly rubbed together.

Chloe squeezed her eyes closed as the delicate movement continued. His fingers were so soft it was hard to picture them ever killing someone. She continued to hear her moans gain in volume as his back and forth movements of teasing came ever closer to her clit. She returned the motion by tracing her fingers inside the soft waistband of his pajama bottoms. She glanced over at the clock and back to him.

"No, no checking," he nodded and reached over her head, knocking the clock onto the floor. Feeling her fingers slowly guide lower inside his pants, he jumped slightly feeling her hand brush the tip of his cock. Trying to verbalize, the words came out as a garbled, "Oh, Ch..aww, fu..ba, da…" She watched as their continual tease of each other was something that she had obviously missed from being in a young person's relationship. She felt his body quiver at the second not so subtle brush through his pants and slid her hands around both sides and gently lifted the material, now slightly wet with precome over his incredibly hard cock.

"Someone's really happy this morning," Chloe joked as Lex inched out of his pants. Inserting his fingers inside her underwear, he wasn't teasing anymore. "Holy hell," she screamed as Lex inserted two fingers into her depths, pulling her underwear off with the other hand. "I want to move," she begged.

Lex lifted off over her legs and pulled his fingers from her. She bit her lip as she tried to loosen her legs from each other. She was dripping between her legs, causing them slide and cause more agitation. She closed her eyes and bit her lip with a slight smile, watching Lex insert the same fingers in his mouth. She let out a little laugh and shook her head. "That was the appetizer." Chloe stared at him as his hands traced her arms above her head. "Don't move." Chloe's eyes got wider as Lex slid off the bed and disappeared into the closet. Naked Lex was something she wasn't sure if she would ever be able to get out of her mind, even if he went back to his old self.

"What are you doing?" She asked playfully as his erect cock practically pointed his way back to the bed. Lex pulled her ankles to where her ass lined up with the edge of the bed. Kneeling in front of her, he draped her legs over his shoulders and ran his hands up her body to make sure she hadn't moved her body otherwise.

"Don't move, including keeping your head down." Before she could argue or he had finished his sentence she tried to buck as she felt his tongue graze her entire entrance. She felt resistance against her hips and could only see his hand holding her hip in place. She moaned louder with the second pass. She couldn't form words, or move. She tingled all over as his passes became deeper everytime. "I love making you squirm; be still," he said as he guided his loose hand up and pinched her nipple.

"Oh, fuck!"

"Patience, we'll get there." He guided his hand over to the other breast and teased it the same to the same reaction. "Have I told you how much I love you bare? So clean." Chloe swallowed back her other screams, concentrating on the fact that Lex was a bare man, more than one way. She had taken a chance and shaved it all one night to see his reaction when they first started having sex. He had become instantly happy when she appeared from the bathroom in the see through nightgown and nothing covering her.

Lex slid his tongue carefully around both sides of her clit, carefully to tease her sensitive area. "FUCK!" she screamed as his tongue continued to trace circles, stopping to nibble on her clit at each pass. She shook from head to toe against his hand on her hip and the other engorging her firm breast. Both nipples were so dark and hard, they ached. She felt his hand leave her hip and let her arch when he pulled his mouth away. "God, I'm going to come," she tried to breath out.

Lex smiled at his work, seeing her throbbing noticeably. He reached under the bed and turned on the microsized vibrator and watched her as she continued to writhe on the bed. She was remarkably controlled compared to the first time. She had been bottled up for a long time that first night. Her orgasms went on and on. He didn't mind, but he worried her body would just give out, but she continued asking for him to keep going. They had slept so well that night, naked in each other's arms. Kissing her open mouthed over her center once more, he felt her legs tighten slightly over his shoulders. He continued to massage her breast while he quickly placed the vibrator directly on her clit.

"FUUUUUUUCK!" He watched as her head nodded back and forth but never lifted from the bed. He knew she wouldn't; she liked the excitement of surprise. "I'M CO….."

Lex leaned in and pressed the small vibrator harder against her as his tongue slid into her and lapped her a couple of times before she gushed into his mouth. Swallowing quickly, he felt her body start to unravel and quiver through the last couple of small aftershocks. He noticed her head finally came up and grabbed the vibrator from him. "Trying new things?"

"I ordered it to see what it could do. Said in the ad it can fit unnoticeably in the pocket in most female underwear." Chloe smiled and threw it on floor as she inched back on the bed. "How do you want it?" He asked as he wiped his face on a towel he had grabbed from the closet.

"On bottom today, you seem to have the strength today." Lex leaned over her already spread legs and kissed her. "Come back here," she said grabbing his head and crushing his lips into hers. Running her tongue inside his mouth, she shuddered in ecstasy tasting her in his mouth. Pulling out of the kiss, he ran his hands along her breasts, which already sat up and hardened at the new touch.

Lex leaned toward the bedside table when Chloe pushed him away. "No, let's try it natural today."

Lex stared at her and wondered. They had not talked about the baby situation since that one day. "Chloe, are you sure?" She nodded and pulled him down and kissed him.

"I'm sure. I love you just like this." She watched his blue eyes gaze over her as he traced his fingers along her face. The doctor had assured her the IUD was working, and she had nothing to worry about. She hated not being completely truthful with him, but she wasn't having a Luthor baby for any scam.

Chloe grazed her fingers down his arms as she pulled him closer to her. Taking her legs, he threw them over his shoulders and moved up to her. He loved the depth it gave them. He watched Chloe reach down between her legs and slide her own fingers into her still wet pussy, gliding them out and rubbing the slick liquid up and down his down overly hardened cock. "Oh Chloe," he panted as she stroked his cock, rubbing the bare tip against her clit causing herself to buck slightly. Wrapping his hand over hers, he groaned, "It's going to be quick."

Chloe smiled and ran her hands down his chest, tracing her fingers around the more defined lines of his abs. His body was nearly perfect except for the slight limp that he still had when he ran. He shuddered and closed his eyes as her fingers grazed his nipples. She learned they got strangely oversensitive when he was hard. Stopping to think, she wondered if she was enjoying her one perk of the scam too much.

"OH LEX!," she screamed and grabbed the pillow above her head as he shoved his cock into her almost violently. He wanted it rough today. So be it; she liked not being able to walk at work, especially in front of Jimmy. Her body shuddered as Lex grabbed her breasts continued to squeeze and massage her already hard painful breasts. She panted out moans and screams that she tried to form words.

Lex moved his hips harder and thrust deeper into her as her screams became more in tune with each thrust. He could feel her legs tighten around his neck and he knew her shuddering was leading to her normal epic orgasm. Kneading her one breast harder to her small cries, he backed off. "Sorry," he panted.

"NO, HARDER!" Lex looked down at her kneading his hand until the small whimpers began again. Her body began to shake as her nails dug into his arms. Taking his other hand behind her head, he wrapped a fistful of hair up and pulled slightly as he thrust, slapping his weight against her, shifting her body up in the bed. She dropped her legs and locked them around his waist, begging for him to come.

Lex pulled her up into him, pushing her hips down onto his cock so hard she felt pain from her stomach. Pumping harder, he held her hips in place as she bit into his shoulder trying to drown out the screams that were about to shatter windows. Thrusting once more upwards, Lex choked out loud grunts and moans before burying his face into shoulder. He held her to his chest, feeling her aching breasts against his sweaty chest as he felt her small aftershocks and the last bit of his come expel into her.

Laying her down, he carefully maneuvered over her to lie down beside her. She could feel his come starting to drip from her and thought back to the very first night. This was the point she had fallen apart then. She was scared and lonely. Things had changed. She glanced over at the naked man lying next to her and smiled. "I love you just like this."

He turned and gazed at her, "I love you too." He leaned up on one hand and ran his fingers up and down between her breasts, pushing beads of sweat around like a hockey puck. "But why the constant reminder of just like this."

"Because I don't want us to forget this," she smiled and sighed. Leaning over, he kissed her again, but gently.

"No way I could forget this." Chloe closed her eyes as her hand glided over his arm and chest. She silently prayed that was true. "But," Lex leaned over and grabbed the clock showing her, "you may be forgotten if you don't get to work."

Chloe glanced at the clock, "Shit!" She ran across the room to Lex's laughter and slammed the door to the bathroom. Climbing in the shower, she saw the door open, "You better get the hell out of here or you won't have any sex organs that function if you try to get in here right now!"

"Going," he waved his hands in retreat, grabbing a robe off the door on the way out.

Chloe ran through the living room, hobbling on one leg trying to get her other heel on while picking up her things. Throwing her two bags on her shoulder, she didn't hear what had hit the ground behind her on the stairs. She grabbed Lex's neck at the kitchen counter and kissed his cheek. "I'll be home late now – thank you very much."

Grabbing her around the waist, she started to yell at him but was met with a mouthful of toast and a cup of coffee. Kissing her on the cheek, he let her go. "Have fun." She left and got into her car and peered into the house. He sat down at the table and picked up the latest book he had been reading while propping his feet up on the table. She shook her head; it was all so odd.

**************

Work was uneventful, except for the dirty stare she got from Jimmy when she walked in two hours late and glowing. Sitting at her desk, Chloe wondered why standard pills for headaches would cause so much time to process. She hoped that she was completely wrong about them and that Lionel was not a lying sack of crap. Still, she sat at her desk and continued to hit the refresh button on her email the day that the results were supposed to show. "Come on," she whispered repeatedly to herself. Finally a blip. She opened the email and started reading.

The pills themselves were exactly what they were supposed to be, a highly potent painkiller. Reading on, though, her expression changed to the point that the typist two stations over asked her if she was ok. Closing the email, she reassured Becky she was fine and then continued reading. "We established that the covering of the prescription painkiller is a nearly toxic level of Clomipramine, a drug that inhibits serotonin, causing depression and obsessive tendencies. However, at the levels this was laced with, we have reason to believe the seizures may have been coming from the drug itself. This drug binds to known patterns of alcoholism and brain damage to become the anti-drug. In these instances, seizures, loss of consciousness, hypertension, and possible heart attack. Recommendation is to immediately cease all use and take simple pain killers. Withdrawal can lead to delusions and manic depression in certain situations.

Chloe sat back and stared at the screen. She shook her head at the blatant control mechanism Lionel was trying to use, again. This time Lex seemed so bothered by it, he could tell it caused him problems. She read further on a couple of the other pills that she had scavenged. Marked drop in white blood cell count. She remembered his remarkable count from his records she had in high school. Lionel was trying to not only reverse all the damage Lex had done in his recent past, but trying to reverse Lex's entire being. The bastard. She closed her email and walked over to Becky's station. "Can I use your phone?" Dialing the phone, she glared back over at her blank screen.

"Clark, hey meet me in ten minutes in the snack room. I have something to tell you."

"Chloe," he got out before she hung up the phone. Dialing another number, she waited for it seemed forever.

"Hello?"

"Hey, I need a message delivered to my home. Can you send a courier down right away." Chloe hung up the phone and sat at her desk tapping her fingers nervously on the desk watching the few minutes tick by.

The courier appeared at her desk a couple of minutes before Clark was to show. "Look, I need to deliver this to this address right away. The address is on the envelope. Make sure no one signs it except for Lex Luthor." Her voice dropped as she got to the end of the sentence. Before the courier could ask, she shoved two one hundreds in his hand and smiled.

"No problem." Chloe walked the courier out of the office and disappeared into the snack room where Clark was obviously listening.

"Courier? What's going on? No email."

"No, I'm can't risk it. You know Lionel's listening. I don't even know if you're in with him so deep I can trust you, but I really need you right now. Look, I had some of the drugs that Lex said was giving him weird after effects tested. They are all something else from what is supposed to be in the bottles. Lionel is screwing his son over again, and now Lex doesn't even know about it. So just snap out of your 'Lionel is my new father' fixation and realize that he is a fucking bastard,"

"Chloe, calm down. He may need the special,"

"No, you shut up. The drugs are dropping his white count to normal levels, giving him the seizures that cause him pain, and could give him a heart attack. So, don't stick up for Lionel in front of me. Do me a favor, follow that bastard around and tell me his every move. Send it passworded to Becky's email. She just a typist and never gets email anyway." Chloe pulled out Clark's hand and wrote the email address down.

"Chloe, why? I mean Lex is finally going to be normal and possibly out of our lives once all his projects are taken care of. Why would…"

"Because it isn't fair this way." Chloe looked back at Clark and shoved the pen back in her pocket. Her eyes were watery and her heart raced. She nodded at him irritated, "Just do this for me, and you may find out some things yourself that you don't like." Turning she started out the snack room.

"You're in love with him." Chloe stopped in her tracks and closed her eyes. She had never pegged Clark for catching on so quickly. She had to hide it better. "You don't want to lose him." Her lip started quivering as she faced Clark.

"So, what if you're right. You don't know this Lex. He's not the same man."

"And when the other man returns? What then?" Chloe stood silent as the expression on her face changed to fear. "See, you're still afraid, and I can't guarantee I can be there when that happens."

"You can't guarantee that it will happen either." Chloe deadlocked Clark's eyes and lifted her chin in anger. "Just watch Lionel for me. Please." Clark stared at her and shook his head in agreement. Chloe marched toward the door.

"Just be careful Chloe," he whispered.

Letting the door swing back closed, she closed her eyes, "Please Clark, just this one favor." He heard her as she disappeared down the hall toward her desk.


	13. When the Wife's Away

When the Wife's Away, Plans the Husband will Lay – Chapter 13

Lex sat on the couch and thought about the morning they had experienced. It wasn't the first time he had made her late for work in the last two weeks. He was happy that things were back to normal, as normal as could be. Things still didn't feel one hundred percent like the old times, but they were happier. She hadn't once left in the evening without him for a trip to store. She had taken him everywhere with her in the small confines of the community. They walked through stores with his arm around her and people would smile almost strangely at the two.

Nodding himself out of his daydream, he answered the door. "Hi, Chloe Sullivan said to drop this off for you. You have to sign for it." Lex looked at the young man and wrinkled his face up in confusion.

He signed the papers and stopped the young man. "Chloe Sullivan?"

"Yeah, she works at the Planet." Lex took the boy by the neck and smiled at him. He looked nervous. Lex wasn't gripping him hard but he was pretty sure the boy thought he was going to strangle him. "Sir?"

"Come in. So are you a friend of Chloe's?" The man sat down on the couch as instructed by Lex, still nervous and wondering if he had met his death by mentioning her name. People at the Planet knew that the Luthors and Chloe had never meshed into something remotely like a friendship. Sitting up straighter, he smiled grimly and responded, "Not really. I'm just a courier. I get paid to deliver things. And paid better not to talk about it."

Lex pulled his wallet out of his pocket, fumbling for some cash.

"She's already paid sir. What do you need me for or can I go?" Lex put his wallet back and pointed at the boy to wait another minute. He went back into the office and pulled a small file out from between two dusty books on the shelf. He sat down next to the young man and wrote out a check to the address on the brochure in the file. "It looks nice."

Lex glanced up at the kid and back down at the envelope. Handing it to the boy, he ripped another check out and started writing. "Name?" The young man gave him his name as Lex continued writing. "Ok, here. Take this to the address on the envelope and wait for a confirmation. Then, return the confirmation here. Oh, and take Chloe her phone." Lex walked the boy to the door and handed the phone to him. "And don't let Chloe know what you are doing for me."

The young man stood in front of the door after it closed and stared at the envelope in his hand. Only an address listed on it, he hunched his shoulders and headed back to his car.

Lex watched as the kid drove away and wondered when he would be back. He smiled at his trickery, even if it was very old fashioned. Chloe was too good with phones and email to safely make arrangements without her knowing. He worried, though, he didn't want to have to get a young man fired over spouting his mouth off if he ever did. Going back into his office, he flipped through the file one more time before burying it among the books again.

Going back into the living room, Lex ripped open the simple envelope and read the message hand written by his wife, "Flush all your pills. Take only OTC meds. I'll try to explain later. Kisses." Lex reread and wondered what she had dug up at work that would frighten her to sending a person without using the phone. He glanced at the phone on the side table and remembered that she had never used it except to call out for dinner. He couldn't put the pieces together exactly but he knew Chloe had found out more about his condition.

"What's going on," he asked himself as he thought about his next move.

*********

Clark paid heed to Chloe's wishes and met up with Lionel going into the main office of Luthorcorp. Listening outside the door, he heard the man on the phone with what he could only assume was a business associate.

"I'm not concerned on that front. Look, we need to move up production on the plant in Stockholm before the one in Brussels. Make it…hang on," Lionel switched over and heard another man's voice that Clark couldn't make out. Coming back on the line, Lionel continued, "I'm sorry, but make it happen. I need to return a call." Lionel sat down at his desk and flipped to the folder the other caller referred to.

"Sir, a man from the Daily Planet visited with Lex today sir. They were in the house, and we were not able to intercept the entire conversation. What is our next move?"

"I want the house rebugged. Audio in all rooms, video in the main living room, office, and dining room. The pieces need to be lead encased and placed in lead locations in the house. Lay lead pipes in attics and basement areas to hide them if necessary. Also, I want the hard drive switched out of that closet in the hallway. I will send you the identical to replace it with."

"Yes sir. When would like for us to take care of all of this sir?"

"As soon they are out of the house. Follow their schedule as you have been sent." Lionel hung up the phone and looked over the latest email chains from Chloe's computer and her phone call log that showed nothing out of the ordinary. "What are you doing Chloe?"

Clark disappeared into a men's room hearing someone coming down the hall toward the executive office and stood on the toilet. Lionel was playing all of them. He needed to talk to Chloe, but she must be tailed constantly with the new provisions that Lionel was making on the house. He peered through the steel beams of the high rise and watched as Lionel had a somewhat normal conversation with another man.

"Mr. Luthor, you realize that the medication was supposed to have been dropped two weeks ago. You have to let his brain build itself back up. No one can guarantee how he is going to come back. But the residual side effects of the meds are going to more than definitely kill him."

Clark heard that word; Lionel was planning on just letting Lex die. "I'm not paying you to be concerned with his welfare. I want him out of the picture." Clark watched as Lionel handed the other man a folder and watched the man look through it.

"So we are going ahead with the project? Lex's previous scientists said the clones were marked with an acute independent streak that was not expected from the first testings. Have you noticed the same issues?"

"The clones have, at least in the Dam's facilities, been eradicated from the inside out. I spoke to several engineers that said the destruction of the dam was not possible under the circumstances but the viable parts not needed have been destroyed and the rest needed to regenerate is still present in a new location. All other clones have been destroyed; all DNA accounted for."

"Sir?"

Lionel walked around his desk and threw another folder across to the man. Clark couldn't read the print from his location but could see the pictures. The pictures of Chloe and other people were marked out left a picture of Lex on the page. "I will send you the results of the new tests from the new lab at the address on the back of the page. This is eyes only, understood?"

"But sir, the main endeavor is improving."

Lionel sat back in his chair and stroked his beard, nodding his head and trying to show his concern for his 'endeavor.' "Let me handle that." The man nodded and walked out of Lionel's office. Lionel sat and stared at the photo in the 'endeavor' file. Clark swallowed at the picture of the two faces in the photo. Lionel closed his eyes and pushed the folder aside in favor of a strong drink. "In an imperfect state that is," he whispered to himself.

Clark dropped his feet from his hunched position and took a deep breath. He was planning something more than just undoing his son's evil behavior and schemes. He was using Lex's own projects against him. The drug manipulation, the cloning, the behavior modification. Chloe, he thought as he disappeared in a blur.

"Clark, what a surprise," Lionel held his hand out as the doors closed behind Clark. Clark calmly walked over to the desk as Lionel shut the file behind him on the desk. "What brings you by son?"

"Don't call me son," Clark scowled and heaved Lionel above his head, holding him around the neck. "What the hell are you plans for Lex and Chloe?"

Trying to choke through the grip on her neck, trying to pull on Clark's fingers knowing it would do no good. "Nothing."

"That's a lie. I still blame you in my dad's death, you drove my mom away, Lana is dead by making her marry Lex, and now since things are not exactly going your way, you're prepared to kill Chloe and your own son? You are a sick man."

Lionel stared back at the young man and choked another breath. Clark dropped him to the ground and held him against the wall with his hand. "Clark, you are the chosen one. You have to train; you have to have a balance in the world to training against."

Clark backed up and watched Lionel grab at his neck, "And you think Lex is the anti-god? The one I'm supposed to fight?" Clark moved closer still to the older Luthor, wrapping his fingers around his arm, "Jor-el was wrong for picking you as a vessel. I was not sent here to destroy and take over."

"Those you love hold you back, son. You have to be separated from them to succeed. Even Lex in his present condition could not balance the power." Clark knew the word separate meant by death. Jor-el, Lionel, it would stop here.

"So you kill Chloe and create a new Lex like the one that actually existed before."

"He's changed and is no longer useful to your training, son." Clark shook his head and grasped Lionel's neck again, pressing him against the wall by the safe.

"Combination old man, and you aren't my father. Vessel or not, you think Lex and Chloe are the problem with reality. You have a twisted version of it too." Lionel continued to fight against the weight pressing against his chest with no result.

"The combination is 12-21-05." Clark spun the dials so fast they were a blur. He pressed his hand back around Lionel's throat.

"You lied to me again?" Clark leaned over toward the door while firmly holding Lionel off the ground again. He watched the man flail his legs in desperation as he listened to the clicking of the internal lock until the door cracked. A sudden sharp pain hit him in the gut. "You are a bastard," as he dropped Lionel to the ground and watched him try to run to his security button.

Clark fought through the gut wrenching pain that emanated from his internal organs and chest to fling Lionel into the couch like a rag doll. Picking him up be the lapels, he swallowed the intense pain hitting him in the stomach and squelching his breathing long enough to push Lionel against the wall inside the safe. Staring at the lock from the inside, he found a pinhole and burned the lock from the inside out.

Lionel kicked Clark back on the floor and ran across the room, hitting the floor as Clark caught his foot. Clark summoned enough strength to grab Lionel by the back of the neck and throw him against the back of the safe. Lionel headed for the door as Clark took a last effort to push the door closed and spin the lock. Sinking to the floor, he took a deep breath and could barely hear the pleas for help coming from the other side of the door. Grabbing the folder on the desk, he disappeared from the room.

*********

"Coming. Hold on," Lex yelled from the kitchen to the front door. Opening the door, he breathed deeply and turned his head uncomfortably. "What the hell are you doing here? Chloe's at work, not that I'm real excited about you seeing with her anyway." Lex stood with both hands on the door, prepared to slam it in the younger man's face.

"Lex, we've got to talk," Clark interjected as he slid his foot in the crack in the doorway.

"I have nothing to say to you. We're just now putting our marriage back together, and we don't really need any complications." Lex tried to pry Clark's foot back outside to no avail. Clark put one hand on the door and gently pressed against Lex's strength and forced his way into the house.

"Look, I don't really want to be here either. As far as I'm concerned, you and I are still not really on speaking terms, but here it is. Chloe did some digging and," Clark was cut off.

"She sent me information about the drugs. Why else are you here?" Lex was a smaller man than Clark but was not intimidated by him even in his state. Clark could hear the hatred and disgust in Lex's voice that had always existed. As far as Clark saw, he couldn't understand the feelings that Chloe obviously developed. This man was the same man from before; he just hated Clark for a different reason.

Clark sighed as he scanned the inside of the house. Looking back at Lex, who continued to stare sharply at the man and wonder what kind of game he was playing. "As much as I hate to do this, I think you may want to consider taking a little trip, just you and your wife." Lex smirked as the doorbell rang.

Lex passed by Clark, still holding fast to the slight scowl on his face and opened the door. "Thank you," Lex said quietly and turned to face Clark.

"I don't know why Chloe has any interest in you." Clark walked around the decorated living room, picking up pictures from the last Luthor wedding that had been doctored. Shaking his head, he stared at Lex. "You don't deserve her; you did nothing for her but cause her pain."

Lex stared at Clark confused. Chloe and he had admittedly had their problems and some, he could remember, involved Clark. Just to have the man he still thought cheated with his wife make the suggestion that the two needed to go away just didn't add up. "And yet you want me to take her away from here." Lex looked questioningly toward Clark.

Clark rolled his eyes at the actual thought of suggesting having Chloe out of his sight, but at least that would put her out of Lionel's sight for awhile as well. "Truth is Chloe found something out about a story she's working and …"

"And you think we need to disappear." Lex admitted to himself that Clark was the oddest character to be there telling him about his father. He had never been involved in his father's affairs. "How are you involved?"

Clark bit his lips in confusion, "Chloe called me and said for me to look into a few things and that led to here."

Lex handed the paper in his hand to him for Clark to look at it. "She doesn't know, and I don't expect her to if you get my meaning. Now, I have some things to get ready, if you will excuse me." Lex pulled the receipt out of Clark's hand and opened the door.

Clark stood in the doorway and turned around to face his enemy. "You do love her, don't you?" He had to hear it for himself. Of all the moments he had seen the two together, he had wondered if the whole thing had been just a farce or a game that he and Lionel had elaborately put together. Lex had never been one to come out and express himself, even when he was with Lana. The emotion was stale. He had to know if this new Lex was as different as Chloe and Lionel made him out to be.

Lex stared at Clark and wondered why the strange but on point question. Clark had been interested in Chloe for so long, Lex wondered if the man just needed to know if he was indeed simply out of the picture. Leaning on the door before closing it, he stared Clark up dead in the eye. "Don't worry; I'll take care of her." He saw Clark's face soften as his eyes squinted in a slight worrisome look, wondering why Lex avoided the question.

He normally wouldn't admit such things to strangers. Clark, though, needed to know the truth. Maybe then, Lex thought, he and Chloe could finally get back on track. "I love her."

"You love who?" Clark turned around as Lex saw a young blond woman bounce up the stairs and push past Clark. She turned and glared at Clark. She obviously was not interested in his being there. "Hey honey," she smiled as she kissed the side of Lex's face. "Clark. Lex, can I talk to Clark for a minute?"

Lex kissed her on the cheek and smiled faintly as he pulled the door open yet again. "I'll be upstairs," he said as he pressed his lips against Chloe's head and pulled his hand from hers. Chloe turned and smiled as he disappeared into the bedroom and closed the door. She sighed knowing that Lex's retreat from her and Clark was to simply to keep the peace. She closed her eyes as Clark closed the door and turned to her.

"You were right," Clark leaned in and whispered to Chloe as they made their way into the dining room. Chloe sat down next to him and waited for the rest of the story. "He's cloning Lex and planning to eradicate the two of you. He thinks Lex is other half of my destiny. It's Jor-el and his vessel."

"What did you do?"

"They're going to figure it out soon enough. I came over to tell Lex to get you out of town where I could take care of the information off that drive that Lionel wants. Those pills are supposed to kill him eventually." Clark took Chloe's arm as her breath hitched at the mention of his death. "Go with him – let me see what I can do."

Chloe silently got up from the table and unlocked the hall closet and handed Clark the files. "Where's Lionel now?"

"Probably getting his security to break into his safe. I kind of locked him in it." Chloe covered her mouth and laughed briefly at the spur of the moment decision for Clark. "It was all I could do – I wasn't going to kill him." He paused. "Just be careful," he whispered as he eyed the rest of the house before kissing Chloe on the cheek. He disappeared in a windy blur.

Chloe sat down at the table and closed her eyes. The targets were set on the two of them. Lionel had never meant to let Chloe out of the bargain. Whether Lionel or Jor-el were pulling the strings, she had simply been used. Grabbing her head, she continued to choke back sobs of being in the middle of another Lionel Luthor plan. She jumped at the touch behind her around her shoulders.

"Baby, I'm sorry," Lex whispered as he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and kissed her cheek. "Anything I can do?"

Chloe shook her head and resisted breaking into tears when he sat down beside her. "No, I just had your pills checked out and found some things that were irregular. I want to see how you do without them. We don't have to tell the doctors, ok?" Lex smiled and kissed another small tear away.

"Ok. Now," Lex stood up and took her hand in his, "We have plans, we have suitcases in the hall, and we have dinner waiting for us before our flight tonight." Chloe looked up at him plastered on her best fake smile in weeks. She silently prayed for Clark to take care of whatever Lionel was up to while they played the happy married couple.


	14. The Trek

The Trek – Chapter 14

Clark retrieved his laptop from the house and quickly headed out of the city. He knew that Lionel could control Chloe from having her watched. He was a different story; Lionel knew his vunerability but couldn't control his disappearances. Clark carefully thought about his next move as he gathered materials and disappeared into a blur from the loft.

Not much time had passed from the time he had left the safe confines of the Kent farm to the strange confines of a coffeehouse in Kansas City. Briefly, he had carefully thought about going to see his mother but thought better. If he knew Lionel and the family's past history, he would have already got to her and had her tracked. His security was better for the most part than any government security.

He sat down and looked over the files that were encrypted. He needed Chloe to make any sense of the material in front of him. He hooked up the headphones and listened in on dozens of conversations of Lex's as the waitress for his table continued to refill his coffee for what it seemed hours.

"You need anything?" She politely asked. Clark nodded and went back to reading the files as the woman looked over his shoulder. "You know sugar, maybe if you stepped back from the screen." The woman pointed over her shoulder at the slight change in the picture background. "Looks like two different layers to me."

Clark looked back up at the pretty blond waitress who reminded him of Chloe. He dragged on the picture and watched the layers divide on the program to reveal the different parts of what appeared to be the perfect person…and weapon.

Parts of multiple meteor freaks as Chloe put it were layered as one person. Clark zoomed into the picture and could only make out Geron. He sat back and typed in the name into the search engine and pulled up the website to what was supposedly a very viable cloning company buried in the United States. Sitting back in the chair, he nodded at the screen. The company was completely valid and on the up and up. He continued to read, becoming ever more edgy about the circumstances of cloning.

Luthorcorp seemed honest for the most part, or so people on the outside thought most of the time. "Time to pay Geron a visit." Clark closed the file, shut the computer off, dropped a twenty on the table for the nice waitress' tip, and disappeared as soon as he was out of the door.

Clark arrived a few minutes later at the Geron facilities in California. Before leaving for the facility, he thought about Chloe and her tactics. Take it straight, he thought as he looked at himself in the mirror. He wore a pair of slacks and a light blue shirt. He felt oddly dressed up but that was what the picture Chloe took for a fake ID once before looked like. "Hope this works."

Back at the plant, he walked purposely up to the desk and showed the woman behind the counter his ID. "Very well. And the nature of the interview."

"I'm looking into advancements on the nuclear transfer as related to human cloning." The receptionist tilted her head cautiously at Clark. One too many of the human cloning protesters had tried to make it upstairs in recent weeks.

"I'm afraid…"

Did the spell actually work for him as much as other men. Chloe and Lana always said the women looked at him like animals. Chloe had even made him use it once before to get into a club. How bad could it be? "Look," he lowered his voice to almost a whisper as he leaned in, "I'm not an environmentalist on a mission. I'm just trying to get a leg up in the reporting world, and human cloning is always a hot button topic. I just want to present the facts the way they should be reported. Let the world know your side of the story." Clark ran his fingers down the top of the woman's hand as she continued to lean into the side of the desk and let her eyes wander across his broad chest.

Taking a deep sigh, she smiled back at him. "I'll see what I can do…umm?"

"Clark Kent."

He turned around and eyed the rest of the main lobby finding nothing in particular. The company was groundbreaking in their research. He couldn't believe that such a place was in bed with Luthorcorp on the inside. "Mr. Kent, they said you could go up. Floor 6."

"Thank you," Clark nodded and started around to the elevators as a hand touched his. "Yes?"

"It's Denise. Look I don't normally do this, but how about dinner?" Clark's face turned from determination to whimsy. He briefly thought about how he and Lana had danced for so long and never got anywhere. How alone the farm felt without anyone, and now even Chloe was out of the picture. "I know," she broke his concentration, "it was stupid. You probably have a nice girlfriend or wi…"

He squeezed the soft hand and smiled at the flirty brunette. "We'll talk about when and where when I get back." She giggled as she went back to her seat. Clark traveled up the elevator and silently laughed to himself. Play it straight my ass, you just pulled a Lex. As the elevator opened, a man introduced himself to Clark.

The meeting went on for another hour. The man explained he was not at liberty to show pictures or give a tour of the facility. The simplistic explanation of nuclear transfer still seemed hard to comprehend. "Sir, not that the United States government would even remotely allow such a thing to take place, but what are the chances to create something similar to Dolly in a human. To go further, could you conceivably mix portions of DNA like a cocktail and create a fertilized egg in another human?"

The man leaned back in his chair and stared at the young reporter. "It's been conceived in vision and theory at best. Honestly, changing the DNA in a nucleus is incredibly difficult and has not yet been perfected. That type of manipulation would cause parents to pick exactly what they want in their child, including eye color, hair color, IQ…sperm banks would be overrun with people looking for the perfect combination."

"How about military application or," Clark had to be careful with his questioning, "the application of extremely different human traits." The executive looked at him strangely as if not interested in answering the question.

"We are solely interested in the uses of cloning or any other genetic work in the ability to eradicate disease. We are in fact close to a possible stem cell cure for AIDS. We don't deal with the military."

Clark bit his lip and thought of a quick exit at the next question, "How about other corporations that you work with? Are you aware of any issues there? There has been discussion that Luthorcorp…"

"Son, we cut ties with that company 4 years ago." The man leaned back in his chair and punched a few keys on the computer in front of him. Grabbing the paper off the printer, he came around the corner of the desk and handed the papers to Clark. "You did NOT get this information from me," he leaned in, "but we cut ties with them over a botched prototype human clone done under the table. Their pocketbooks were huge and the whole situation just went away, including two of our most highly touted geneticists. Families and all. This is the last address of the one man I knew." He lowered his voice again. "Taking on Lionel Luthor is a death sentence."

Clark got up and shoved the piece of paper in his pocket and shook the man's hand. "I'm well aware of that." He returned the whisper, "Watch yourself."

"Who are you anyway? You're not a reporter."

"Let's just say the Luthors and I go back further than I wished. Thanks." Clark shut the door and sighed, wadding his hand around the information in his pocket. He walked through the reception area and smiled at Denise. "How about 7? I'm not from here – you pick something we can walk to."

He smiled as he headed out the rotating doors as he heard a shot go off in the building. Looking up through the windows, he watched as the man he just talked to shot himself. Pulling the information out of his pocket, he noticed it was a hand written note about Luthorcorp's experiments sent from an airport fax machine. "Lab A – Riverton, AL. All on rivers, dams. Need the power. Quit now. G."

Clark examined his options, knowing the bad impression it would give if he didn't at least go on the date he had made. Looking at his watch, he wondered how long Alabama would take.

**********

"Ok, remove your hands. They are getting all clammy on my face." Chloe stepped carefully as Lex continued to shuffle her feet along side his as he put her into position. Her feet were cold; the only clue she had was the parts of her face not covered were cold. He had convinced her to at least sleep the entire plane flight and keep the windows closed. She knew they were on a private jet. "How did you pay for all of this?" she asked with her face still covered.

"We're incredibly poor now. No, I actually," Lex stopped and ran his hands up and down Chloe's covered arms, "dipped into the baby's fund."

Chloe's head whipped around and looked at him sadly, "You didn't have to do that." She turned around and felt the cooler air nip at her face. "Oh my God."

Lex leaned in and wrapped his jacket covered arms around her, nuzzling into her neck. "But the look on your face says I did needed to do this." Lex pulled her closer and turned her to face him as he ran his gloved his hands along her bright red cheeks, "I love you."

Chloe looked up in his eyes as he drew her up into a kiss. She stood on her toes to keep her lips from coming unlocked from the warmth as he pulled her closer to him with the wind blowing around them. "This is so beautiful," she whispered as she pulled out of the kiss and leaned into his chest. "Thank you."

"So, what do you think? Surprised?" Lex let her loose as he took her hand in his and walked along the Neva River with her.

Chloe wrapped the wool wrap around her neck once more and looked out on the wooden boats and other small crafts drift under the bridge they were on. "Stunned. Where are we?"

"St. Petersburg. You said we should go back." He wrapped his arm around her and kissed the top of her forehead as she leaned into his chest and smiled strangely. She tried to act just merely surprised about her trip across the ocean. She was in shock and completely out of touch with Clark. He couldn't possibly handle things with Lionel on his own.

"Honey," Chloe snapped out of the daze when she realized that she suddenly had become cold again. Lex had stopped and leaned against the railing of the bridge and watched her continue to walk in a daze. She stopped and looked back at him. "Where are you going? Are you ok?"

Chloe was shaking. She couldn't tell if she was cold or nervous. They had been perfect, a perfect fictional story for a month, until this particular moment. She wondered what was going at home and suddenly felt self conscious about all the people around her. She was alone in a foreign country with him, alone. She couldn't warn Clark in case something went wrong. She walked over to Lex cautiously and stood next to him. "It's beautiful, but I'm really surprised at the temperature." She looked at her watch and mentally computed the time, "and the light."

Lex wrapped his arm around her and kissed her now near frozen cheek. "Don't worry – I'll keep you warm and the hotel's curtains block out the white nights." Chloe glanced over at Lex. "You had said you were disappointed the last time since you wanted to see it. I told you that it was just like daylight in the middle of the night." He laughed as he slid in behind her on the bridge and wrapped his arms in hers.

The two walked back to the small hotel room that consisted literally of a bed and the bathroom. "Sorry about the accommodations. Things seem more expensive when you can't just throw money at it without thinking." Lex walked into the bathroom and undid his shirt as Chloe stood in front of the window, still shielding her eyes from the odd natural occurrence. She still watched the people walking down the street below them and then at people in the hotel windows across the way from theirs. Things felt out of place.

"Shit!" Chloe jumped out of her skin as Lex kissed the side of her neck and ran his hands along the sides of her arms and down her back, stopping at her midsection. Chloe closed her eyes at his lips trailing down her neck as she felt her bra pop loose.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," Lex whispered into her ear as he continued sprinkling her skin with kisses. "You know, you should get ready. Our reservations aren't going to wait." Chloe turned in his arms. He rarely let her go now; it was almost worrisome the way he constantly traced his hands along her body. Small flashbacks of his touching her the same way on the video reminded her that she was in love with a figment of her imagination. He wasn't real – he was what she had always wanted in any man, just lucky enough to get some time with him. Pulling from his soft grip, she smiled and kissed him gently on the lip and moaned slightly.

"I'll be out in a flash." Chloe disappeared into the bathroom, closing the door and looking at the back of the door. She buried her head in her hands. She couldn't lose her Lex, not to Lionel, not to death. She continued the paranoia of thinking everyone was watching them and missed the door open.

Lex gazed silently as his wife seemed to internally struggle with something in her own little silence. Thinking he would say something to comfort her, he noticed her deep in thought and thought better of it. He pulled the door to and sat on the edge of the bed half dressed. He pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head.

A sudden sharp pain hit him above the right eyebrow as he squeezed his head with his hands. Closing his eyes, he couldn't understand the strange visions of Chloe yelling at him in a cave. He started to breath heavier in response to the pain before reaching for his bag and swallowing three Excedrin down dry. He lay down on the bed and sighed still with his eyes closed. What were he and Chloe ever doing in a cave, and they were yelling at each other.

Chloe stood up and cleaned her face of the smudged makeup before reapplying more. She honestly had no idea what he had planned. Walking out into the room, she looked in the reflection of the mirror and ran back into the bathroom, wetting a washcloth and cursing his father. "Hey, headache bad?"

"How'd you guess." Lex mumbled as he grabbed his head and squeezed his eyes together. "Thank you." Chloe placed the washcloth on his head and squeezed his hand. Chloe sat staring at his topless form writhing in pain for more than five minutes until his eyes loosened their squint and barely opened. "Lights."

She turned the lights down, closed the curtains, and returned to the bed, laying her head against his shoulder and traced her fingers over his chest. "We could stay in tonight if you are feeling bad. I'll just order something in for the evening." She picked up the room service menu and flipped through seeing nothing that remotely looked like food.

Lex propped another pillow under his head and took the menu from her and picked up the phone. Chloe watched as she propped herself on her hand. He spoke fluent Russian still. Something things never changed so it seemed. "It'll be here in about an hour." He lay back again and concentrated on the placement of the washcloth on his head. The headaches were getting worse. "I want to go back to the doctor when we return."

Chloe's ears perked up at the statement. A doctor controlled by Lionel Luthor and his personal pharmaceutical counter. "Honey, it's probably just a migraine. You have had a lot of activity today."

Lex turned and stared at Chloe, "No, they get worse everytime. And things are happening that I can't explain." He turned and faced Chloe. "Like last night I had a dream about you and I in a morgue but woke up before I could tell why we were there." Lex grabbed her hand and shook as he squinted and continued, "and just now I saw us in a cave having an argument. What's going on?"

Chloe pursed her lips together in worry. She smiled as well as she could realizing his memories were coming back to him one by one. She couldn't explain it. "I think the meds are playing tricks on your mind. The doctor told me to make sure you stop taking them and maybe this will all stop."

The two laid facing each other in silence, carefully touching each other as if the other would break or cry foul. Lex continued to move the one section of her hair out of her face repeatedly where he could gaze at her. He closed his eyes repeatedly, each time trying to push away the awkward thoughts of the two of them that continued to have shown up over the last couple of days. His migraines and stupid visions would not ruin their entire trip.

"Room service!" Chloe jumped off the bed and opened the door.

"Thanks," she signed the slip and pushed the small tray into the room. "I have," she pulled a lid off the designer plates not knowing what she would find, "hamburgers. Bless you honey." She pulled the plates off and sat up next to Lex on the bed.

"I figured you didn't want the rest of the stuff on the menu after the last trip." Lex flipped on the TV and found the movie channel that was in English. "Roman Holiday."

Chloe scooted up next to Lex as they sat and slowly ate in the comfort of the cozy hotel room. The TV was even small, but she didn't care. She felt safer in his arm than walking around the streets. Lionel had to have found his way out of his confines hours ago and tracked them to St. Petersburg. They had to be watched. Glancing up in his eyes, she worried about the visions. She prayed the meds weren't the issue.

Lex moved about the room quietly, cleaning up the dishes from dinner as carefully as possible while still grabbing at his head every so often. He watched as Chloe flipped her body over to face the window and looked at the clock. It was 4 AM, and she wasn't bothered by the time change. Pushing the dishes out into the hallway, he leaned against the wall and stared at her. He loved her, but his dreams scared him. They were always angry. Things between them were too good finally to worry her about his problems; he simply ignored the thoughts thinking the meds were just messing with his head. He flipped the light completely off and headed to bed.

"Damn," he grabbed at his foot and landed in the bed less than gracefully.

"Are you ok?" Chloe whispered before she saw Lex grabbing his foot in the shadows. She rubbed her sleepy face as she giggled.

"Shut up," Lex tried to answer with a straight face as he climbed into the bed next to her. "It hurt."

"I'm sorry, it's just," Chloe stopped as she felt his hand move up inside her nightshirt. Her thoughts were replaced with moans as Lex took her breast in his hand. "Trying to displace your pain?" she whispered in the dark at the shadow leaning over her.

"Something like that," he whispered as he slipped his hand out and undid her shirt's buttons, kissing a trail from her lips to belly before disappearing under the covers. Chloe's eyes rolled into the back of her head at his touch and moaned as he buried his face into her depths. "Headache better?" she rasped.

She only heard a muffled giggle from under the covers.

***********

"I want increased stakeout on the Kent farm, the Senator's office, her home, Chloe Sullivan's Talon apartment, and the Daily Planet. That boy will be found. Use the means given to take him out." Lionel slammed the phone down in his office and watched the repairmen push the door back into place. He removed the latest ice pack from the back of his head and examined it. The bleeding was finally stopped.

He looked over the images of the cloning facility from the morning's email and wondered how long the facility could not be compromised. No one had seen Clark in his usual haunts and that worried Lionel.

"And what of the rest of surveillance?"

"Not part of the surveillance sir, but a former associate from Geron committed suicide in his office yesterday. Witnesses state that a young man dressed in a suit had just interviewed him about the limits of cloning." Lionel looked at the article from the newspaper and glared at the man's name. An old team member that he had been introduced to by Lex in the early stages of 33.1. He had been on the ground floor of the experimentation but quietly had been released after pleading for his family. And foolishly Lex had somehow still had feelings for those then. The same feelings that he exhibited now.

"And of the house?"

"Sir, the men have finished the bugs in the Luthor household and searched the entire home. There was no hard drive found. Sir, we did find this though in a stack of books. He arranged it through a courier. Our men missed the exchange." Lionel leaned back in the seat and slammed his fist down on the desk. Clark had heard the entire conversation and had the information. To boot, he had gotten to his son and sent them away.

"GET OUT!" He yelled at the man and looked back over the surveillance tapes from the Luthorcorp tower and the house across the street from Lex's. One young boy leaving the premises. Stupid surveillance team. Not even blur had been picked up either. "Fuck!"

**********

"Ok, I got us reservations for somewhere else tonight. They are going to have to squeeze us in around ten." Lex called through the door of the bathroom as Chloe continued to pull things out of her bag and shook her head.

"What kind of place?"

"Something nice," he said as he appeared from the bathroom in a suit. She hadn't seen him in something like that since he had paid her a visit at the Planet months before. She shivered as he brushed past her and started pulling out ties.

"Lex, there's nothing like that in my bag," she stated as he held up two ties for her obvious approval. One was violet and the other a dark blue with small pin stripes of green. She silently told herself nothing remotely like the old Lex. "The blue one. Now what about me?"

Lex walked over, draping the tie around his neck, "Just go get ready. Wear your hair up if possible." He tucked some behind her ear and kissed her. She felt her back into the wall with his hand against the back of her head as the kiss deepened. She could only feel his tongue swirl against her and could taste the mint on his breath. Moaning into his mouth, she grabbed the ends of the tie and pulled him down into her deeper, feeling his growing pleasure against her.

"Baby," he whispered into her ear, "we can't miss reservations two nights in a row." Chloe let go of the now crumpled tie and pouted before turning the corner and then jumped.

"That probably left a print," she laughed at the slap on her ass. She closed the door of the bathroom and heard the TV come on. She stared into the mirror as the door shut completely and saw the reflection. The dress was floor length, velvet, and forest green. Hanging off the hanger was a velvet bag with a box in it. She pulled the small note out of the bag and read it, "Hope you like it. Love, Lex."

Chloe popped open the box and slid her fingers over the emeralds from both the necklace and earrings. They matched the dress precisely. She wondered which he had matched first. She put the earrings on before continuing to get dressed.

Standing in front of the mirror, she watched her chest heave up and down as she tried to calm herself. No one had ever treated her so well and scared her so terribly. "Are we going?" she heard from the other room.

"Coming," she smiled at herself before putting the last of the hair picks that were in the little bag with the jewelry. I'm not a Lex girl, he doesn't have girls, he has me, he's always had me she tried to convince herself.

Lex turned and momentarily lost his footing. Chloe raced across the floor thinking he was having another episode. "Are you ok?" She spoke swiftly and nervously. Lex grabbed her around the waist and laughed.

"I'm fine," he whispered. "You're stunning." Chloe hitched her breath as he ran his fingers over the small emerald hanging between her collarbones. "Shall we?" He held his arm out as he slipped the keycard into his pocket. Chloe straightened his tie and nodded.

Dinner was a phenomenon that she had never experienced. The restaurant was two rooms with only seven tables total. The music was live piano and violin. The meal was superb and she had no idea how to convert the amount the meal would cost. "How much is all of this," she asked as Lex slid another piece of cake off the plate.

He slipped the piece in his mouth and turned the ticket over. Chloe watched his expression as his eyebrows squeezed together. Turning the ticket back over, he took a drink of the wine he had ordered. "About $75. It looks a lot scarier in rubles." He smiled and held out his hand. "Dance?"

"Lex, there's no dance floor here."

"So what. I want to dance with my wife." Chloe looked at his hand and slipped hers in as the man at the piano started playing again, something slower. She leaned against his shoulder and closed her eyes, breathing in his scent. She continued to try to pry out the idea he was anyone but her husband. However fake this was, she would do it all over again to be with him.

"I love you just like this," she whispered as he looked down into her eyes. Stopping in the middle of the floor, he took and dipped her back before kissing her where the emerald fell.

Lifting her back up, he gazed at her, running his finger over her bare shoulder, "I love," he paused and squinted. "I love," he slurred as he fell to the ground.


	15. Going Down

Going Down – Chapter 15

Chloe paced in the stark white hallway in her velvet green dress covered by Lex's coat. She couldn't control her breathing and continued wringing her hands together in nervous anticipation. The doctors had hauled him from the restaurant soon after his collapse. He had resisted waking up in the helicopter on the ride over. She had tried nervously to fill out the admittance papers with the assistance of one of the English speaking nurses on duty.

She sat on the couch outside the ICU unit he had been rushed into. She put her head in her hands and couldn't stop crying. "Mrs. Luthor?" She glanced up at the doctor that sat beside her. "I spoke to the doctor that you gave me the name of that had the history of his medications." The doctor stopped and looked over the chart in his hand. "He has a mass, a tumor from the mix of the meds."

Chloe's chin quivered as she covered her mouth and choked the tears back. "And?"

"We can operate, remove the tumor, and hope that there is no reoccurrence if the medications are avoided."

She turned to the doctor, still wringing her hands together. "But?" Chloe could feel the but coming. The operation couldn't be that simple. A number of things could be playing behind the scenes, including Lionel sitting in the doctor's office writing a check to the doctor to let him die on the table.

"Complications always are a risk. Since the tumor is brain related there is chance of memory loss, unconsciousness, coma, death." Chloe grabbed at her hair and buried her head in her arms. "Can I get you something before we discuss the operation. I have to have your permission to operate."

Chloe got up and walked down the hall toward the ICU doors. "I want to see him, and I need to make a phone call to the United States." The doctor nodded as he put his arm around her and pressed the button on the ICU doors. The room opened up to eight smaller rooms with a myriad of beeps coming from all around her. "If there are other family members, how can I guarantee that they won't change the orders over mine."

The doctor didn't quite understand the reasoning for her worry. "Ma'am, his power of attorney states your name implicitly."

"What?" Chloe stared at the doctor as he handed her Lex's billfold.

"I'm sorry but we were looking for medical information cards and found this. Signed three days ago in Metropolis." Chloe laid the paper down on the nurse's counter and read it. He knew it was his father and the drugs and never mentioned it, she thought as she read the Power of Attorney that he had filled out. She silently hoped that European doctors weren't as dirty as the black market in Russia.

"Can I see him?" The doctor waited as she finally folded the papers up and walked her into the small room covered in tubes and hoses. She glanced over the readings and couldn't make heads or tails of it.

He would have had to collapse in Russia. She sat in the chair next to the bed and slipped her hand into his. The doctor slid the clear glass door closed and retreated back to the nurse's station. "Lex? God, don't do this to me – you can't let your father win this one. We have beaten him before; you didn't deserve to be treated like this. God, I hated you for what you did to my family, but I need you now." Chloe pressed her lips together and lowered her head on the edge of the bed.

"Sorry," barely came from the bed. Chloe lifted her tear stained eyes, mascara running down her face. "You look like a sad clown." She grabbed his hand and tried to laugh.

"You scared me," she whispered. "You have a brain tumor – it's the reason for the headaches. They want to operate, but if…"

"Do it." He combed his hand through her hair and wiped the black off her cheeks. "I love you Chloe, just like this." She couldn't resist the tears that overwhelmed her eyes as they ran down into his palm.

"Don't you forget me Lex Luthor." He smiled and hitched a breath.

Squeezing her hand, he mouthed, "How could I," before turning away from her and listening to her constant sobs as she squeezed his hand harder and cried on the bed sheets.

"Lex?" She watched his chest rise and fall as he fell back to sleep.

She walked out of the ICU room and leaned against the counter. The doctor put together a small packet and pointed out the different places that she signed her name, Mrs. Chloe Luthor. "The operation will take approximately six hours. The nurse will show you to the waiting room where you can make the necessary phone calls. The International charges are incurred on the hospital bill. Just enter ICU 3." Chloe nodded as the doctor went back into the room with Lex.

She sat down next to the phone and dialed. She knew she couldn't keep everything from Lionel. Clark's phone had to be tapped in someway. "Hello?" Clark looked strangely at the number.

"Clark, he collapsed. He's in surgery."

"Where are you?"

"Helsinki."

"What?"

"Long story. I'm at the University Hospital. Clark, I don't…"

"Don't finish that sentence." Clark clicked the phone closed and got his bearings. The discussion of the plant in Alabama could wait until he got to Helsinki. Looking around the small farm road in the country, he disappeared into a blur.

********

Lionel Luthor opened his email and glared at the pictures and transcripts. "Lex collapsed in a restaurant in St Petersburg and was flown to the Helsinki hospital. His wife is with him. The ICU unit was inaccessible sir. He is in surgery as we speak. There was a call made to Clark Kent. The discussion was short; he is from what I understood one his way there now. Do you want me to follow?"

Lionel picked up the phone," Get the jet ready. Helsinki." Lionel sat back and punched a few buttons on the computer in front of him and stared at the clone on the screen. The image of Lex was frighteningly on spot. He picked up the phone again.

"Yes sir?"

"Have the clone field tested in the mansion while I am gone. You know the protocol." Lionel looked over the files on the progression of the clone. The specialist that he had worked with disappeared in the last day from the facility that he was working at. Disconcerted, he had to move ahead with the experiment if this was truly the end of his son's life. There couldn't be a few moments without his son in the presence of the public. The replacement had to be completely ready for the task at hand in the event of Lex's death.

He stopped and looked at the picture of his son from the restaurant in St Petersburg. They were nice together. But she was the last one in the picture. Clark had a destiny, none of which included his family and friends. Chloe and Lex were the last. It would have been so much easier to just kill Lana so long ago. He got up and tucked the files under his arm and headed to the heliport.

*********

Chloe felt a warm hand on her face and squinted, "Lex?"

"Wrong end of the spectrum." She sat up and buried her head into Clark's chest. "What happened?" He ran his fingers through her hair and closed his eyes, hearing her sobs into his shirt. He felt almost upset with her; she hadn't been this upset when Lana had passed away.

"He has a brain tumor. That rat of his father drugged him until he developed a brain tumor." Chloe wiped her nose and grabbed her hair in frustration. "He could die."

"Chloe, two months ago we were hoping he would. You can't possibly want to save him." Clark grabbed her by the arms and shook her slightly. "Listen to me Chloe. I love you and I don't want to see you fall into this trance like Lana did. The real Lex is still in there."

"You don't know him like I do – he's different."

"Right now, but what happens after the surgery." Clark stopped as Chloe turned around and stared at him. He hit the point she had tried to avoid thinking of for a month now. He couldn't return to himself. Chloe shook her head and backed away from Clark as he started to rattle off instances that Lex had gone in and out of delirium and always returned to himself.

"I don't want to hear it!" Clark grabbed her around the waist as she covered her ears and shook violently. "Let me go! He's going to be fine! He's going to be fine!" She slumped to the floor in the middle of the waiting room and collapsed. "He's going to be fine," she whispered.

"Ok, he's going to be fine," Clark conceded. He closed his eyes and held Chloe in his arms as a surgeon came down the hallway. Sweating through his scrubs, he stopped and knelt next to Chloe.

"Mrs. Luthor, your husband is out of surgery. It was a success. He will be in recovery for about the next few hours or so. I will send someone to get you when you can see him." Clark thanked the doctor as he walked away.

"He's going to be fine," Chloe repeated to herself as she started shaking in his arms. Closing her eyes, she contemplated the very real possibility of what could happen.

*********

"I'm looking for Lex Luthor's room," the man swiftly spoke to the front desk clerk and then reworded it in Finnish before getting a positive response. With the direction pointed out to him, he headed swiftly down to the waiting room and noticed the small blond asleep in Clark Kent's lap.

"Incoming," Clark leaned in and whispered as Chloe woke to see Lionel staring at her from across the room. "What are you doing here?"

"He's my son; I have to take care of him." Chloe sat up and edged off the sofa and looked around at the sparse number of people in the room before walking up next to Lionel.

"Take care of him? What nurse are you bribing to kill him?" she whispered viciously.

"Ms. Sullivan." Lionel sneered at her as he started toward the ICU doors.

"It's Mrs. Luthor, and you aren't on the visitor list." Lionel turned and slipped his hands into his pockets before walking back up to her. She watched his hands fidget and Clark wince as he walked closer to the two of them. "What are you doing?" Chloe whispered.

Lionel leaned into and shook his head. What a waste of a beautiful brainy young woman. He watched as Clark backed up and sat on the couch, grabbing his stomach in pain. Chloe eyed Lionel's pocket and tried to tug on the hand that was in it. "You will not win, Miss Sullivan. Clark has to fulfill his destiny, and none of us are part of it. Only one person is the key." He turned and started back out the hospital doors, leaving Chloe to race to Clark's side.

"What the hell is he doing Clark?" Clark shook his head as his breathing came back to normal. "He said something about none of us. Clark, he's part of this. He's creating the clone Lex the way he thinks it should be to continue your destiny beyond all of our lives, including his."

"He wouldn't kill himself."

"No, but Jor-el can." Chloe and Clark sat in the hospital and stared at each other. "What can you do Clark? Can't you go talk to him at the fortress or destroy it or something? We're talking about more than Lex now – he's leaving you with no one."

Clark looked at Chloe and nodded his head, "Call me when Lex wakes up. I'm going after Jor-el. Maybe if I can get to him, Lionel will just go back to being the normal bastard he is instead of this." Clark kissed her on the top of the head and started out of the hospital doors just as the nurse came around the corner.

"Mrs. Luthor, he can be seen now. He's still a little groggy, but awake." Chloe nodded and picked up her things and followed the nurse back into the small room. His head was bandaged all the way around. His face was gray and tired looking. His breathing and vitals were slower than normal. She immediately was concerned that the white blood cell count could affect his recovery this time around.

She sat in the chair next to him and sighed in the quiet. She watched the machine tick over and over as his heartbeat was steady. She reached out under the bed rail and brushed his hand with her fingers and saw the heart monitor tick up a notch. His fingers slightly curled around hers as his eyes opened.

"Hey," she whispered. She smiled as she ran her other hand up and down the top of his hand.

Lex squinted, trying to focus on the person in the chair next to him. His thoughts were so confused. His head pounded, feeling like a sledgehammer had been taken to it. He moaned at the intense pain from his head. He had woken from the strangest dream that he had married... "Chloe? What are you doing here?" he questioned in a raspy voice. His eyes focused on her bloodshot eyes and her quiet sighs as she ran her fingers along his hand and arm.

"Where else would I be?" She released the hand on top of his and leaned closer in the chair. "How are you?"

"In pain." He closed his eyes and tried to focus. He remembered the accident; the water that he had swallowed as he tried to sink to the bottom to avoid the ambush. She didn't make it he thought to himself. He squeezed his eyes together, trying to hold back the tears. The only wife he had to the present he would have wanted to keep. Lana was, and the thought was cut off. He glanced over at his hand in Chloe Sullivan's hand and remembered. It wasn't a dream after all. "I didn't forget you," he whispered.

"You worried me so much." Chloe smiled at him and kissed his cheek carefully. Lex closed his eyes feeling her lips against him. She gave her life up to play pretend with him, no doubt orchestrated by his father. Memories came back too fast for him to comprehend all of them. He closed his eyes and saw her strapped to the table when he had experimented on her. The same woman now held his hand, made love to him last night. He moaned at the confusion of the memories. He opened his eyes and saw the key to his future. "Lex?"

"Still groggy. What happened?"

"You collapsed and they removed a brain tumor. Your drugs were causing the growth and the memory confusion. You weren't making sense the last few days talking about us in caves and such." Chloe moved the chair closer to the bed and laid her hand on his chest.

Lex closed his eyes and took in her scent. She smelled like a mix of jasmine and his cologne. He faintly could picture last night with her and smiled to himself. This was perfect. This had to be the best hallucination that his father, mother, or his own damn body had ever given him. He had never given her a second glance except as a threat.

Lana had always been the target – easy access to Clark and whatever his secret was. It was his one-upmanship effort to get back at Clark. Now Clark's closest ally, his ironically worst enemy, was his own wife. And she sincerely loved him; he could tell from her face. He glanced down at his hand at the wedding ring and then at the rock on her finger and the emerald necklace. "Doctors confused drugs? Not buying it."

Chloe listened to the tone of his voice and thought carefully at her words, something didn't sit right with her. "Your father sees you as a threat – he wants us out of the picture, permanently. Lex, I know this is going to suck, but I want you to refuse drugs in your treatment. I'll slip you some Excedrin but I don't trust the doctors."

"Ok, could that happen now?" Chloe let go of his hand and dug into the small purse that she had with her. Lex noticed in his stare that she was dressed like perfection. Chloe Sullivan, what an odd story that all was, he thought, seeing now his parallel memories of their meeting that were completely different than their reality. "Where are we?"

"Helsinki, they couldn't handle the situation in St Petersburg." She pulled the bottle out and shook two tablets into his hand.

"Sorry about the evening." He smiled as she sat back down next to him. "I know this was not what you wanted." Chloe dropped her purse and let the side of the bed down and pulled the chair closer to the bed. Leaning on the bed, she gathered his hand in hers and ran her other hand over his chest. "Chloe?"

She popped her head up from his bedside and gazed at him. She was nothing like he had ever imagined when her fiery inquisitions usually led to his door. Even years later, she and he seemed to be right between his father's sights again. "Why is my father after us this time?"

Chloe hesitated and stopped. Lex knew nothing about any of the projects that were going on behind his back; there was nothing in their past that he had cooked up about their fighting his father before. Biting her lip, she tried to cover. "He's afraid you'll get better and go after the company again." Lex raised an eyebrow and stared at her. She was lying. Chloe could never lie well. His father was interested in something more.

"I want to see him."

Chloe let go of his hand, "But Lex…" She teared up thinking of the two in a room together alone.

"Chloe, it's time to end this, all of it." Chloe stopped in her tracks as she felt her mouth drop. The sound was not her Lex. His voice was cold and unemotional. His eyes suddenly changed to a stale cold gray from the bright blue before. "Chloe, please." The please was not a plead, but accompanied by his smirk. She pushed the phone in his direction and halfway smiled.

"I'll be back," she nodded before walking out the door and down the hall. She picked up the receiver in the waiting room and dialed. "Clark?" He could hear her sobs, her fear in her voice.

"Chloe?" The phone clicked and Chloe lowered the receiver and sunk into the corner in the empty waiting room. "Chloe, what's going on?" She looked up as she tried to focus on his already being there. She shook her head to calm herself.

"He remembers. He remembers it all. I can tell. We have to get out of here." Clark nodded and handed Chloe a kleenex. She wiped the tears away and straightened out her head, mentally trying to prepare herself for leaving him behind. "Let's go."


	16. Showdown

Showdowns – Chapter 16

Lionel strolled into the hospital room and sat in the chair next to the bed. He watched as his son quietly slept. He had examined the charts on the outside of the room and was pleased with his progress. He had called and put a stop on the testing of the clone in the event Lex could return to his roots for only the reason of balancing himself with Clark. If Lex mentioned the woman, he would end it. Jor-el saw fit for it to be that way.

"Dad, what are you planning?"

"Son," Lionel rose from the chair and leaned over the bed to look over his son with determination. "You need your rest. Such things can be discussed later."

"No, now." He noticed a line going into his arm that wasn't there before. Tugging at it, he could feel the skin rip as the needle tore from inside his arm.

"Lex!" Lionel grabbed the line and the now dry washcloth for him, "You can get an awful infection from doing that. What has gotten into you?"

"What's in the bag dad? More meds to develop another tumor. Maybe this time you can make the cocktail more potent where I'll die faster." Lionel tied off the end of the plastic tubing and shut off the beeping machine.

"Is this what you are complaining about? Chloe has an active imagination trying to pit you and me against each other again. She really must revel in our disagreements – makes for good headlines." Lex wrapped the small towel around his forearm and laid back in the bed, gritting his teeth causing his headache to return. "And you really should take your meds."

"Not a chance. Not with you anywhere near the hospital." Lex couldn't put it all together. Where was Chloe? She stepped out hours ago from what he could tell and left his father there. He had requested his presence but needed her support. She knew what was going on and obviously not as angry at him as last time they had crossed paths. "Stay away from Chloe. You made a deal with Helen, you threatened Lana, and then force Chloe to pretend she loves me. At least the last one worked out."

Lionel leaned against the door of the hospital room and nodded his head. "For awhile son. Then you asked to see me and she knew. Just like before, you always make one slip. She's gone. Lana's gone. Your projects, gone. Your clones gone. Luthorcorp, the money, the mansion…gone." Lionel walked over to his son and tapped on his wedding ring. "Your life…gone."

Lex swallowed and leaned back in the bed, feeling his head throb harder than it had since the operation. "What's left? What do you want?" He wanted to beat the old man into the ground, drag his bloodied body through a street and have people kick it. He had no power, no help, and again no love.

"What do I want? Now, there's the question." Lionel sat down in the seat next to his son, leaning on the bed as his stitches started to bleed through the gauze. "Simple. I want my son back – the ego driven, maniacal man that can rule the world without others."

Lex turned and stared at his father. "Or?"

"I would hate for it to come to that son. I will check in on you from time to time – listen to the doctors and take your pills." Lionel pushed the door to the room closed before Lex could get in a word. "Welcome back son!" he called as the door closed.

Lex stared at the ceiling as a nurse came in and looked him over. "Your vitals are abnormally high."

"Tell me something I don't know," he commented as he turned his head to the side to reveal the ripped sutures.

"We'll get someone in right away to get your head and arm fixed up and the linens changed." Lex nodded as he looked around the empty hospital room.

**********

Another week passed without contact from anyone on the outside. His father had visited once again and nearly threatened him with an inch of his life. For Lex's part, he at least had the remote to the laptop's voice recorder in his pocket. He remembered the conversation's end and pressed save as soon as the man was around the corner.

"You will come back; I'll announce your return to Luthorcorp as a diversion after your unfortunate and timely divorce from Miss Sullivan. Of course, the marriage was just a diversion from Lana's death. Then, you will pick up the business as if you were never gone and continue to pursue your other outside interests." Lex wanted to deck him after using her maiden name.

"And if I don't?" He couldn't look at him; he stared out the window of his small hospital room and rolled his eyes.

"There is a perfectly capable replacement for you living comfortably in the penthouse."

"You used my research against me?" Lex knew what replacement he had been talking about. He had practically regenerated the entire town of Smallville, at least the ones he would miss, in case of another meteor shower.

"If you remember son, you stole the original research from me long ago – during my unfortunate and unneeded incarceration."

Lex swallowed at the statement. Just hand me a gun God, he thought, I'll send you a replacement for the devil post haste. "So, I come back to work, I pretend none of this has happened, and everything goes back to normal. And Chloe?" Lionel shook his head and smirked.

"Miss Sullivan will be found and brought back. She will be a reporter for the Daily Planet that you eventually take care of. Remember, not so long ago you threatened her." Lex hung on the words that he had used during the last official run-in with the blond. He watched his father leave the hospital and threw the file of plans his father had across the room.

He leaned back in the hospital chair and stared outside at the strange skyline. He hadn't left the hospital except for brief moments of fresh air. He watched around him with a careful eye, knowing his father's plans were more than what he merely put on paper. Lex wasn't slow; he had a brain injury. He clicked a few more keys on the laptop he asked for and a picture file opened up of Lana.

A twisted, uncomfortable look appeared on his face as he stared at the awkward engagement photos. She had complained that there were no 'non-paparazzi' photos of them. Come to think of it, she had complained and moped a lot. She had been forced into a marriage with him. Smooth dad. Smooth me – damn hormones, put the woman in the hospital enough to keep her doused once a month. In hindsight, he should have just let her go – she had never been any use other than to make the other man jealous.

But Chloe's pregnancy was completely unreal. His father's ideas of treatment were twisted at best. Strawberry blond would have been a pretty color on a little girl. Shaking his head, he let the thought go and continued numerous passwords to get into accounts that he knew he had already tried.

************

"Hey you! How's it going on the outside?" Chloe skipped into the small living room in her now private bungalow. She watched Clark unload the groceries from his latest trip into civilization.

"Careful. Get your fingers out of that." Clark pulled the chocolate cake from her and put the lid back on. "I tried to get you better access than dial up, but that would require a credit card and ..."

"It's fine Clark." Chloe had settled into her new place well considering she had gone from the Talon apartment to the Luthor house and now a hole in the mountains. It was refreshing though. She appreciated the help if nothing else. Clark continued on his search but Lionel had crosshairs on everyone it seemed, including himself. Men would watch him just move about the house in Smallville as if he couldn't see them. They couldn't catch him leaving, so all was best that could be expected.

"Lionel has got everything locked pretty tight."

"I know; I can't get to anything anymore with the dial up and it's all too encrypted for me to do anything with from here." She stopped and shoved a cookie in her mouth. Clark at least kept his word and kept her safe. She appreciated it. "How's Lex?"

Clark stopped putting groceries away and turned. "Chloe, I don't think…"

"Just tell me." She asked every trip, hoping to hear he had reverted back.

"Still in the hospital. An article came out yesterday that said Lex was planning on filing for divorce citing irreconcilable reasons. Personally, I think it Lionel feeding the fire to lure you out." Chloe nodded and grabbed the bag of cookies. She sat down in the rocker on the porch and stared at the birds in the trees. Clark watched her leave and could hear the barely audible sighs. He walked out and put his hand on hers, kneeling before her. "You miss him?

"I miss who I had, whoever he was. I just want Lionel or Jor-el or whatever out of our lives where things can go back to normal."

Clark closed his eyes and nodded, "Chloe, back to normal is not the Lex that you know." She looked down at him and twisted up her lips disappointingly. Clark the realist, who would have ever thought. She walked back in the house and disappeared behind the bedroom door. His visits had shrunk to this.

That night, Chloe covered her face with the pillow to contain the agonizing sobs that came after her picturing him in her bed with her yet again. His image was too lifelike; her fingers circling her wet folds alone in the dark caused her to cry his name. That monster couldn't return. He had too much to live for besides his damn projects; he had her. He said he would never forget them just like this.

*************

Lex had deciphered all the information he could from a laptop computer. Hundreds of his employees in various projects had disappeared under assumed names he guessed. His projects shut down, even the warehouse facades changed to other corporations. Still, no word from his father, thank God, or Chloe. He repeatedly tried her cell phone until one day the number simply had been disconnected.

He had left it with her in a terrible place. His last realistic contact had been him threatening her with something worse than prison. He remembered her face, how she stood up to him and his future plan to just push her out of the Planet by purchasing it. It was an easy enough solution. She had been in everything, including the middle of him and Lana's personal life. Lana, he smirked. What a magnanimous waste he thought to himself. Chloe had the secrets, still did, had no boyfriend except for the little punk kid, and a heart that she gave to anyone, he was proof of that.

He would be returning home tomorrow and finding what he had left behind. He remembered the pictures of the wedding completely doctored from the originals. He had seen those in his wallet. Chloe looked better in the wedding dress than Lana did, and at least smiled in the picture. He found it hard to resist smiling, but couldn't forget the thorn in his side during his plans.

Clark, the last piece of the puzzle. The first piece to tackle. "Smallville, Kansas. Clark Kent," Lex spoke into the phone. He waited and heard the phone ring. He closed his eyes, trying to picture what to say.

"Hello?"

"Clark."

Clark stopped washing dishes and leaned against the counter. "Lex, what do you want?" Lex listened to the silence on both ends of the line before answering.

"I want the truth, and preferably in person from you in say about 30 minutes." Clark stopped breathing at the statement. "Clark, I've had a lot of time to research, not having Luthorcorp as a diversion. I found some things on an internal server of dad's that's very interesting, including a frame by frame shot broken down in milliseconds that has you saving one Bart Allen from my lab. That would be quite remarkable considering his speed at the time." Lex heard the phone drop.

Lex looked at the phone and listened to the sonic boom through the receiver. Wow. He hung the phone up and closed his eyes. Even after a month, exertion was complicated. He opened his eyes looking at the door to his private room slamming. "Ok, so now what?"

Lex looked over and his eyes grew at the sight of Clark actually standing in his room exactly 34 minutes later. "My father has it in his mind apparently that we are to be sworn enemies. I'm to rule the world and you're going to save it from me. And all our favorite martians, I don't know where you are all from," he smirked, "were a ploy to train you to destroy the Earth." Lex threw his legs over the side of the bed and got up, walking over to Clark.

Laying a hand on Clark's shoulder and looking up at him, he laughed. "You? Mr. Farmboy who ripped my Porsche in half but should have just left me there is supposed to destroy the world?" He looked at the horror on Clark's face. "Calm down. If you had really wanted to kill me and destroy the evil in the world, " Lex added sarcastically, "You could have easily just ripped me limb from limb. No one but my father or…Chloe would have known." Lex eased up next to Clark as Clark held the same gaze he had when Lex had been with Lana. "Lana didn't even know until the day of the wedding. Yeah, I know, it's a little overkill to put cameras in the wine cellar, but there are some priceless bottles down there. Well, were down there."

"Lex," Clark was speechless. "Where did you get the idea that your father wanted us to be enemies and that any of this is true." Clark figured it was pointless now to argue that he wasn't who he was. Now, he needed to play along and hope that Lex wanted his father to give up Jor-el's ghost as much as Clark did.

"Remember all those damn symbols on that stupid cave? Daddy dearest made a dictionary, and my wife showed me a few things about password cracking. Interesting reading." Lex held out the CD he had made of his findings as Clark reached to take it. "No, it's not free. Tell me where is Chloe is."

"No way. She's safe from you and your father. And I know now I have to protect myself from you and him." Clark started out the door without taking the information from Lex.

"Stop." Clark paused and shut the door. "Here's a key. It's everything he or I have on you. I don't know what or how you are connected to him, but as soon as I'm released tomorrow it's all ending. Now, are you in this with me or are you willing to be a casualty." Clark turned and stared at Lex holding the key in his hand.

"What do you know?"

"There's a set of snipers waiting to take you out as soon as you look as if you are cheating 'your destiny' as my father puts it. He has the men loaded down with meteor rock bullets aimed at you. The rock from my now defunct labs." Lex shoved the address of the key lock into Clark's hand and grabbed him by the shoulders. "He still wants me and Chloe too. Something about your damn destiny. Something about a crystal – Clark, I don't get it."

Clark stopped and stepped out of Lex's grip. "A crystal? Lex, what if I said," he paused, "killing your father would be the only way out of this. You have to trust me – I am not…"

"I know. And next time our family members come to visit, remind me not to get involved. To lifelong enemies," Lex extended his hand to Clark and smirked, knowing that it would always be true. Clark started out the door and heard Lex ask, "Chloe?" He shut the door and quietly disappeared into the street leaving Lex standing in the empty hospital room.

*********

Clark stood in the middle of the fortress and watched as the lights flashed as he argued with no one. He looked at the panel laid out in front of him and watched as he thought about Lionel. One crystal grew brighter in light than the others as Clark slid it from the container on the panel. Closing his eyes, he placed the one crystal in his jacket pocket and left for Metropolis.

Lex sat in the strange brick and marble home that Lionel had created for he and Chloe's life together. He had left everything as is. That was what he had left. His father hadn't lied to him. He sent someone to check on the mansion; it had been moved back to its original location. His plants and companies were under Lionel's name with one way to get them back.

Sitting on the couch, he stared at the wedding album cover and thought about what he would say. He had been so stupid before. He tried to compare the two marriages to no avail. There was no comparison. He moved into the baby's room and sat in the middle of the floor.

"We interrupt this program for breaking news. We are receiving word that Lionel Luthor, CEO of Luthorcorp has suffered a life threatening stab wound at his penthouse in Metropolis." Lex listened to the story and sighed uneasily as he hoped the plan worked.

"Witnesses stated they saw three men leave the scene of the crime. At present, three men that fit the descriptions are being held for questioning." Lex heard a whisp of air race through the house and looked up at the doorway.

"Will he live?"

"I missed the main artery; it'll be touch and go. It's hard to explain how it works, I…" Clark walked over to where Lex was sitting on the floor and looked at his 'enemy' in awe. He wasn't the man he thought would come out of the situation he did.

Lex looked the opposite way, picking up the bear without an eye and shook his head. "I love her." He looked in Clark's direction. "And I'm sorry about Lana."

Clark said nothing but silently dropped the card next to Lex's leg. "Don't tell her you know about me." He paused before walking out the door. "Lex, she not…don't hurt her." Lex felt a soft breeze blow through the room and heard a door close. He looked at the card with only an address on it. He shook nervously with it in hand.


	17. The End

Chapter 17

He stopped the half a mile up the road and couldn't see through the trees the supposed address that Clark had given him. He got out and shut the door to the car, leaning against it as if he was glued to it. What would he say to her? How long before she pulled a gun on him? He closed his eyes and prayed to a God that probably could care less of him.

He stopped at the edge of the path and looked at the small cabin in the woods. Clark really hid her when he said he would. He made his way up the path and peered through the screen door. His breathing increased and he leaned against the outside of the house trying to contain himself. He looked back in the house and watched as she disappeared onto a back porch. He carefully opened the front door and closed it behind him. He walked through the small kitchen and living room and watched her. She was radiant, like he had remembered her from waking up beside her.

She wrapped up in a blanket on the small swing and read. Wifey. Lex bit his lip to stave off a laugh as he watched her wriggle in her seat. Then it caught his eyes; the ring was still there. Maybe there was hope for him after all. Only one way to be sure. He pulled the door to the back porch open as Chloe fidgeted under her blanket.

"Stop." Lex heard the click from under the blanket and watched as the small barrel of the gun poked out of the blanket. He backed up to the other side of the porch and shoved his hands in his pants. Chloe eyed him from the side and her fears were partly put to rest. He wasn't dressed in black, not even purple. Her head slightly turned where she could eye him closer. Khaki pants and a blue pullover.

Her lip wanted to quiver, her arms wanted to reach for him, but she had to be sure. "Take your hands out of your pants." Lex slowly removed his hands and placed them at his sides. His ring. She tried to breathe and the gun faltered in her hand. Lex watched and bolted to catch it before it hit the ground. Uncocking the gun, he laid it on the table and knelt next to her chair, tracing his hand over the ring on her finger.

"So, is this your prison or the picnic?" he tried to make a joke. Chloe sat still not able to move her head from watching his every move. His cold fingers wrapped around her hand as she gulped silently at the statement that brought fear back into the equation. She was confused. This is what she had wanted since she walked out of the hospital, but knew it came with a price. He was the old Lex who had destroyed so many people around her.

"How did you find me?" She expected to hear of surveillance tracking her down or checking her bank account routing, but none of that. He simply placed a well worn notecard in her lap with her address hand printed on it in Clark's handwriting. Clark sold her soul…or knew more than she did about Lex.

Lex bit his lip and placed his hands back between his own legs, continuing to kneel in front of her silently. She had to have time to process his presence as much as he needed to convince her he was done. Clark's secret revealed, his father had come to and started speaking about mergers at work with no recall of anything remotely related to he and Chloe, there was no reason for anything else. He had to show her. He had to give her time. "I miss you," he whispered. She heard the wavering in his voice. He was as scared as she was, of what she didn't know.

"We're not the same as before." She stopped and looked the other way, scooting her body away from his presence. He watched her lip shake as she pulled the blanket up around her. "You're…you. You faked her pregnancy, you took my parents away from me, you…"

"I get it." He had held off on his father's decision to finalize the divorce. He wanted to see how things would actually pan out. "I'm sorry," he could only choke out before twisting his head away from looking at her. "I didn't have the best role models and all the wrong motives. Things got out of hand."

"You let them," she snapped coldly. Lex stood up and watched as Chloe flinched closer to the edge of the swing away from him. Chloe closed her eyes and could still feel his stare at her. "I read about your dad. I'm sorry it had to come to that. Interesting that the knife at the scene wasn't the same thickness as the puncture wound." Chloe turned and looked at Lex, who continued to gaze at the woods through the slats in the porch.

He shoved his hand back in his pocket and started into the cottage. She was back to her reporter self. It was clearly over; after what they had, verbal judo was no longer all he wanted. He started for the front door as he heard her speak. "You know I feel a little left out knowing that you and Clark were in on your father's attack together." Lex turned and looked at her through the screen.

"What?" Chloe slowly got up and eased past Lex, trying desperately not to touch him, to grab him and kiss him. He still hurt her but she hoped the memories of the past two months or the past two years in his mind still remained firm enough to fall back on. She lifted the light mattress up and unfolded the dark cloth and turned around.

The item glowed in her hand except for the darker end covered in blood. Chloe walked over and put it in Lex's hand. "Your father's strange last year was caused by the material you see floating in this." Lex stared at her and then at the object in his hand. "It's hard to explain, even for me."

Lex held the crystal up to the light and stared at the violet hues of material that swimmed inside the slick piece. He couldn't ever wear violet again he thought. He thought about saying something but had sworn to Clark he would keep his secret. Chloe watched as his eyes glared at the object, careful not to touch its surface. He had no desire to have anymore trouble from his father or Clark's heritage for that matter. "Clark told me that you know."

"Chloe, I couldn't hurt Clark. I mean I could have, at a time I wanted to, but it's just complicated now." He wrapped the crystal back up and handed it to her. He leaned on her counter as she hid the object away in the same location. It was a test he could tell. If he went after the crystal to have it tested, she would know he was the same. "Do you trust me?"

Chloe turned and nodded. "I don't know who you are. Clark said things were awkward but you were moving away from your projects. Your father destroyed everything anything except for the clone of you that Clark took care of once we pulled all the information off your server." Lex gripped the counter and threw his head back in frustration.

"You need to come with me." Chloe eyed Lex suspiciously and glanced around for the gun. Lex walked back out on the patio and retrieved the object. She backed up against the wall when his purposeful walk led right to her. He pulled out her hand and laid the gun in it. "You shoot me the minute you don't trust me. Let's go."

Chloe sat on edge the entire trip in the car and then on the plane, her fingers now becoming weak and white from gripping the gun so tightly. She followed him out, looking strangely at the khaki pants protruding out under the same black coat he always wore. She caught up to him, gun still in hand and looked out over an empty building next to a river.

The two marched down the hill and stopped as Lex typed in several codes and Chloe cocked the gun. Lex's body stiffened as he heard the click and closed his eyes briefly, waiting for the shot. He turned on the lights and backed away from her. "This lab wasn't listed anywhere." Chloe looked at the glass case and saw a full lab. She had been here before. The stark white room made her skin crawl as she approached the metal table. This was where he had violated her. What had caused her so much pain. Had caused her to shoot up the mansion; he had watched the video in the hospital.

Now she held the gun. She could shoot him, leave him the middle of no where. She turned and pointed the gun at him. "You really hurt me. I didn't remember and when I saw it … I hate you." Lex stood straight up and listened, waiting for the hammer to pop. If his honesty wasn't enough, he didn't deserve her. Her finger rubbed the trigger as she watched Lex stand perfectly still. His face wasn't sad or frightened, as if he expected it. Pulling the trigger, she closed her eyes and heard the shot go off before turning the gun on the glass of the room she had been in before. "I HATE LEX LUTHOR!" she repeated over the sound of the weapon.

She dropped the gun and beat on the broken glass until Lex saw her hands were bleeding. Turning around, she noticed she had missed him and beat on his chest still screaming at him, blood trickling down his shirt. He had now hurt her twice. Never again, he thought. "I know. I hate him too." They slipped to the floor together as he ripped the lining out of his jacket and wrapped it around her cuts.

She looked at him in silence while he carefully touched her arms. She was confused. Why would he bring me here, she thought. The most hateful memory he could conjure up to expose her to. Then she saw it; his face, the look of concern from her Lex. His fingers careful to wrap her cuts without grazing them. He hated himself, he admitted it. She swallowed and knew it was a chance. "I love you just like this," she whispered.

Lex looked up and saw her green eyes focusing on his reaction. "I told you I would never forget you." Chloe's smiled beamed through her tears as Lex pulled her into him. "I love you, even if you think I'm a monster."

Chloe leaned back and looked at him. "No more secrets, no more projects, just keep your dad in line, ok?" She fell into his chest and felt him kiss her head. "And you have to tell me why I was abducted. I'm one of them aren't I? I'm a freak."

"You're not a freak; you're my wife." He laughed, "Maybe that makes you a freak."

Chloe wasn't laughing, "You'll tell me?"

"Absolutely. Every detail." Lex shook his head as he picked the two of them off the ground and carefully brushed the glass flakes off the two of them. He wrapped his arm around her and walked her out of the plant, stopping at the top of the hill. "Here," he handed her a small box and she glanced up at him. "Open it."

Chloe pulled on the small bow and popped the top off. An explosion came from at the bottom of the hill. The lab went up in flames and Chloe's face lit up in a smile. Looking back at Lex, she saw him on one knee. "I've never done this right." He stopped – the words caught in his throat as another explosion came from down the hill. Chloe stood steadfast not sure what to think as Lex closed his eyes, remembering her hating him for her pain. "Will you to marry me for real Mrs. Luthor?" His voice quivered.

Chloe looked down at what was the trigger mechanism and a diamond ring was still in the box. She handed Lex the box and tugged at the ring she still wore. Shoving it in her pocket, she watched the usually smooth as silk Lex Luthor shake putting the new ring on her hand. "Yes," she smiled as he kissed her for the first time it seemed. "Now, let's get out of here. I really want to forget this place."

"One thing," Lex reached into his coat pocket and pulled out two silver straps. Chloe grabbed them out of his hand and threw them to the ground before starting with her ring.

"You sick twisted son a …"

"Chloe, it's a joke." He smiled and giggled sarcastically like her Lex used to. "Although, you were damn sexy in it. I was hoping we could put a couple of hook and eyes…" She slapped him across the face, hard. "Ok…joke over."

THE END


End file.
